The off-season transformation for the Patriots continued Monday.
The power of AFC East terminated the contract of veteran receiver Julian Edelman with a failed physical designation, the NFL Network reported first.
Edelman missed the last 10 games of the 2020 season as he recovered from knee surgery, and the Boston Herald reported last week that there are doubts at Foxborough that the 34-year-old will be able to play the entire 2021 season.
ESPN.com reported this Edelman was thinking of retiring and this transaction could be the first official step out of the sport.
De facto coach and general manager Bill Belichick spent the offseason rebuilding a crime he fought last season during a 7-9 campaign, his first in 20 years without Tom Brady as a defender.
The team added receivers Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne, along with tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith, to give more weapons to defender Cam Newton.
Edelman is a close friend of Brady and desperately tried to persuade him to stay in New England last season. If Edelman chooses to continue playing, there will be speculation that he could sign with the buccaneers.
Edelman had 620 catches for 6,820 yards and 36 touchdowns in his 12-year career with the Patriots.