Bill Belichick says it's too early to discuss Julian Edelman's future with Patriots

A knee injury limited Edelman to a career-low six games in 2020

Two years ago, Julian Edelman walked off the Super Bowl podium as the game's MVP. On Friday, it was announced by Bill Belichick that Edelman's 2020 season has come to an end, with the 34-year-old receiver playing in just six games while dealing with a knee injury. 

Edelman was designated to return from injured reserve in mid-December, but his knee did not progress well enough to allow him to be activated. When asked on Friday about Edelman's future with the Patriots, Belichick declined to go into details. Edelman has one year remaining on a two-year extension that he signed in May of 2019. 

"Yeah, I think it's way too early to start talking about next year," Belichick said, via CBS Boston. 

Despite playing with a new quarterback, Edelman's 2020 season started well. After catching five passes in New England's season-opening win over Miami, Edelman caught eight passes for a career-high 179 yards in the Patriots' Week 2 loss to the Seahawks. Edelman's knee issue became evident over the next several weeks, as he caught just eight passes during his final four games of the season. He was placed on injured reserve shortly after catching just one pass during the Patriots' Week 7 loss to the 49ers. 

In late October, Edelman underwent a procedure to address a bone-on-bone issue in his knee. And while Edelman's recovery was publicly lauded by Belichick, the Patriots decided not to activate him for the team's season finale against the Jets. Regardless of Sunday's outcome, the Patriots will finish with a losing record for the first time since 2000. They will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2008. 

The Patriots' offense struggled without Edelman not in the lineup. While he has completed 65.4% of his passes, Cam Newton has thrown just five passes against just 10 interceptions. In Monday night's loss to the Bills, Newton and backup Jarrett Stidham combined to complete just nine passes for 78 yards. Questions have and will continue to been swirl about what the Patriots will do at quarterback entering the 2021 season. 

While 2020 has been a mostly disappointing season for New England, the Patriots have received solid campaigns from receivers Jakobi Meyers and Damiere Byrd. They have also received a strong season from second-year running back Damien Harris, who has averaged five yards per carry. 

Despite his absence on the field, Belichick said that Edelman's presence continued to be felt within the organization this season. The franchise's fourth all-time leading receiver, Edelman played a key role on each of New England's three most recent Super Bowl championship teams. A seventh-round pick in the 2009 draft, Edelman is second all-time in career postseason receiving yards. His 10-catch, 141-yard performance earned him MVP honors in New England's 13-3 win over the Rams, a win that tied the Patriots with the Steelers with six Super Bowl victories. 

"He was around regularly," Belichick said of Edelman, "and I thought he did a good job of using his experience to help other guys in areas that he was familiar with and could give them the benefit of his experience and some guidance."