Bill Belichick once belittled Julian Edelman during contract negotiations
Bill Belichick is a six-time Super Bowl-winning coach and is widely regarded as the best head coach in NFL history. Belichick has demonstrated over the years that he has a rigorous personality and is not afraid to call out players.
He once confronted Julian Edelman during contract negotiations, telling him flatly that he wasn't the best receiver in the league.
Edelman was one of the most important players for the Patriots dynasty in the 2010s. He and coach Belichick won three Super Bowls together, but that didn't stop the Patriots coach from using his tactics during negotiations.
Here's what Julian Edelman said about the incident:
"Everything he said made you want to go like ‘you're not the best fu–ing receiver in the league’, it’s a negotiation tactic. I went into this thing like man, I'm terrible… He got me for a good price. I mean, you gotta tip your hat to the guy.”
It would be fair to say that without Julian Edelman, the Patriots might not have won some of their Super Bowls in 2015, 2017, and 2019. Despite his importance to the team, Belichick wasn't going to overpay him and sacrifice other areas.
Similar to Tom Brady, Edelman and the other Patriots players took team-friendly deals. This ultimately helped them cement their legacy in the game. Bill Belichick does have unique ways to operate, but more often than not they are successful.
Bill Belichick's Patriots are not interested in Lamar Jackson
The New England Patriots won six Super Bowls when Tom Brady and coach Belichick worked together, but since the former quarterback left the team, the franchise hasn't been in a good position.
Mac Jones impressed in his rookie season but failed to show signs of improvement in his second season. As a result, the Patriots were linked with a move for Lamar Jackson.
UPDATE: The New England #Patriots will not pursue Baltimore #Ravens MVP QB Lamar Jackson, per @jeffphowe of @TheAthletic.
On Monday at the #NFL’s annual meetings, owner Robert Kraft said that Jackson was interested in joining New England. https://t.co/V4MMmj6Xx1
However, as per Jeff Howe, the Patriots are not looking at a move for Jackson and are willing to work with what they have. The Patriots did bring in Bill O'Brien as their new offensive coordinator, as they hope Jones will get better in the upcoming season.
Bill Belichick is under a lot of pressure next season. Whether he will be able to prove his critics wrong remains to be seen.
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