The Patriots Gave Away Julian Edelman’s Number 11 To A Practice Squad Kicker

The days of retired numbers in the NFL are becoming obsolete.

The New England Patriots recently signed undrafted free-agent kicker Riley Patterson to the practice squad and gave him No. 11 which was famously worn by Julian Edelman, and Drew Bledsoe.

Due to rules governing the jersey numbers certain position players can wear, the only other option would have been #12 and that would have caused quite a commotion. NBC’s Darren Hartwell wrote: “In that context, No. 11 actually was Patterson’s only option: Kickers are allowed to wear Nos. 1 through 19, and the only two uniform numbers available in that range were 11 and 12.

While Tom Brady’s 12 is certainly going to be retired, it may be the last one we see for a long time. No worries for Julian Edelman, he will certainly see his day in the Patriots Hall Of Fame.

Julian Edelman jokingly tweeted this response….

https://t.co/3lRrhdBW9d pic.twitter.com/yhIX33PlEq

— Julian Edelman (@Edelman11) October 20, 2021

For those updating Patriots practice-squad rosters at home, kicker Riley Patterson has been assigned No. 11.

(Reporter PSA: The days of retiring numbers, outside of Tom Brady levels, are over. But Julian Edelman can still expect a red jacket in future as Patriots Hall of Famer.)

— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) October 20, 2021