From 2009 to 2020, Julian Edelman was a wide receiver for the New England Patriots in the NFL. Before that, he played football at the College of San Mateo and Kent State University. In 2015, he was honored by being inducted into the Kent State Varsity “K” Athletics Hall of Fame.
Early Life & Education
Julian Francis Edelman, commonly known as Julian Edelman, was born on May 22, 1986, in Redwood City, California. His parents are Angela Gole and Frank Edelman, and he has two siblings, Nicole and Jason. Frank is the owner of A-1 Auto Tech, a mechanic shop located in Mountain View, California.
Despite being brought up in a Christian family, Julian experienced a “Jewish awakening” later on and revealed to the NFL Network in 2013 that he identified as Jewish.
His great-grandfather on his father’s side was Jewish and came to England from Poland, while his great-grandmother on his father’s side had an Irish Catholic heritage.
During his high school years, Julian Edelman was a student at Woodside High School and played on both the varsity football and baseball teams.
He was initially under 100 pounds as a freshman but experienced a growth spurt. As the quarterback for the Woodside Wildcats, he led the team to an undefeated 13-0 record during his senior year.
Julian Edelman’s NFL Career
Following his high school graduation, Julian Edelman attended the College of San Mateo for one year. During this time, he achieved a school record by scoring 17 touchdowns and running for 1,253 yards.
He later transferred to Kent State University in Ohio to pursue a degree in business management and also joined the Golden Flashes football team as their quarterback.
In his final year of college, Edelman was the top performer in both passing and rushing on his team, with a total of 13 touchdowns. His overall offensive performance surpassed a previous school record set by Joshua Cribbs in 2003.
Despite initially leaving Kent State to participate in the 2009 NFL Draft, Julian Edelman eventually came back and graduated with a Bachelor of Integrative Studies degree in 2019.
In 2009, Julian was chosen by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the NFL Draft and given a four-year deal that included a $48,700 bonus. Although he was unable to play in the team’s first game due to an ankle injury, he emerged as the top receiver in their second game against the New York Jets.
In a match against the Tennessee Titans, Edelman sustained a broken arm but managed to achieve his first NFL touchdown upon his return in Week 10. He also set a record for the Patriots during the 2010 season with an impressive average of 15.3 yards per return, which was the second-highest in the entire NFL at that time.
Julian Edelman received recognition in 2011 when he was awarded AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance during the Patriots’ Week 11 match against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The next week, he was also nominated for the NFL’s title of “Hardest Working Man.” The Patriots went on to win the AFC Championship in January 2012 and faced the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI, ultimately losing by a narrow margin of four points.
In 2012, Edelman was sidelined for three games due to a hand injury and also sustained a head injury during a Thanksgiving Day match against the New York Jets. Additionally, he broke his right foot in a game against the Miami Dolphins on December 2nd, causing him to miss the remainder of the season.
Personal Life
In 2016 and 2017, Julian Edelman‘s relationship with model Adriana Lima was characterized by periods of being together and then breaking up. During this time, he also had a non-serious relationship with model Ella Rose, and on November 30, 2016, their daughter Lily was born. In 2019, Julian shared with “Haute Living” his experience.
“Fatherhood is such a huge challenge especially with [Ella’s] profession and my profession being able to give my daughter the time and energy that she desires and that she needs. There’s a fine line.
You have your craft, and you’re working towards being the best you can possibly be, something that you’ve been working towards your whole life since you were 8 years old, and then all of a sudden, your priorities change. You’re not living for yourself anymore, you’re living for your little girl now. That’s how my parents lived for me, so that’s all I really know.”
Net Worth
Julian Edelman, a former American wide receiver, is highly recognized for his successes in and out of the realm of football. As of 2024, he has accumulated a net worth of $30 million, cementing his status as one of the NFL’s reliable and top-performing receivers. Yet, his accomplishments in football only make up a part of his multi-faceted life.
