‘Drunk uncle’ advice, practice fights and Tom Brady jokes: Untold Julian Edelman stories before Patriots Hall of Fame induction

Before he became a Patriots Hall of Famer, Julian Edelman was a football footnote.

A seventh-round pick and college quarterback trying out a new position in the pros.

But over 12 years in New England, Edelman changed.

And so did the Patriots.

As Edelman developed into one of the best wide receivers in franchise history, he helped power three Super Bowl titles. He secured an all-time catch during Super Bowl LI and earned MVP of Super Bowl LIII. He became a local legend, a household name.

Amid all the accolades, teammates came to learn the real Edelman.

A ballbuster. An obsessive worker. A living, breathing standard for how to fight teammates in practice and compete in games.

So, forget the player you might have known as “the Squirrel.”

In the words of his ex-teammates, this was “Jul