BY DAVID HEIM
The journey back to Foxborough was apparently a pretty easy one for wide receiver Julian Edelman, who agreed to a four-year contract with the Patriots last weekend.
In fact, the team’s lead receiver a year ago said he was happy to be returning to his “home” today on WAAF’s Hill-Man Morning Show.
"It wasn’t that tough [to decide], to tell you the truth," Edelman said on the show. "You go on these visits and these trips and everything and you see these wonderful organizations. I got to go home and see the Niners, and I grew up a huge Niners fan, but being in New England for the last five years, that’s just home. That’s just home for me right now.
"Just the way, the mentality, the team, how everything’s done, the scheme, the players, the locker room, the fans — it’s something that I couldn’t leave. I’m really glad that we were able to work something out and bring me back."
The Patriots could have ill-afforded to lose Edelman, who caught 105 balls last year for 1,056 yards and six touchdowns. In fact, Tom Brady might have pulled his hair out at the thought of him losing his two receiver to free agency two years in a row.
The feeling is mutual with Edelman, who just last week, worked out with Brady while he was out in California visiting the 49ers. Edelman pointed to Brady as a major reason why his decision to stay with the Pats was so easy.
“When you get to come to work and play with one of the best, it makes it a lot easier,” Edelman said in the interview. “Especially with the kind of player and person Brady — along with a lot of other guys on the team.”
We’re sure the surplus of acquisitions New England has made in the first week of free agency helped as well. Edelman called new-Patriot cornerback Darrelle Revis the “best in the league.”
Nonetheless, having the reliable receiver back in the mix in a questionable area of need is definitely a positive for the Patriots.
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