Patriots Hall Of Famer Julian Edelman Is A Rising Media Star At FOX Sports

Julian Edelman has a burgeoning media career, including as an analyst on FOX NFL Kickoff.

Lily Hernandez

The day before the Kansas City Chiefs hosted the Philadelphia Eagles, Julian Edelman was in a reflective mood.

The last weekend he had spent in Arrowhead Stadium was when he helped the New England Patriots defeat the Chiefs in overtime to advance to the Patriots’ last Super Bowl.

“I was definitely getting some flashbacks,” Edelman exclusively shared. “It’s definitely a special place to come. Not because we won (but) because we knew how hard it was to win here. This place rocks. Arrowhead is one of the most electric opponent stadiums that we played in. It was one of the greatest to be the villain.”

Edelman had seven catches and 96 yards in that 37-31 overtime win against the Chiefs, paving the way for Super Bowl LIII, a game in which he won Super Bowl MVP.

That may have been the apex of his playing career, which earned him induction into the Patriots’ Hall of Fame this weekend, but his post-NFL media career is ascending.

He’s not only an analyst on FOX NFL Kickoff, the show that precedes FOX NFL Sunday, but also has his own production company and hosts two weekly podcasts.

“It kind of (just) happened,” Edelman said. “My goal is really to just be around football in some form or fashion.”

Toward the end of his playing career, Edelman started creating short-from content for his YouTube channel and picked up a cult following among New England fans. Then for his first two years out of the league, he was an analyst for Paramount+’s Inside the NFL, earning a nomination for a Sports Emmy in 2022.

Edelman’s contract expired as Paramount+ canceled the Inside the NFL, which was then picked up by the CW. Meanwhile, as Sean Payton was slated to become the new Denver Broncos head coach, FOX needed to replace Payton on their pregame shows.

“(Edelman) was at the top of that list,” said Jeremy Mennell, senior producer of FOX NFL Kickoff. “We haven’t looked back.”

The challenge for Edelman was adjusting to live TV after being on a taped show like Inside the NFL.

“It’s a completely different game,” Edelman said. “It’s getting off your point clean in the time that you have.”

Helping him adapt, though, was a familiar castmate. Rob Gronkowski, his Patriots teammate from 2010 to 2018, appears on both FOX NFL Sunday and FOX NFL Kickoff.

Edelman said Gronkowski didn’t recruit him, but his presence there made joining FOX a “slam dunk” decision.

“It feels comfortable,” Edelman said. “It feels like the same environment that we had when we were playing.”

In their FOXBoROS segment, playing off being bros and the Patriots being located in Foxborough, Mass, they have two-and-a-half minutes to take the conversation wherever they want.

On the very first segment, they recreated the Boston Red Sox game when Edelman pitched to Gronkowski, and the tight end used the Lombardi Trophy as a bat, denting the Super Bowl hardware. In the FOX NFL Kickoff version, Gronkowski swung so hard that the ball hit the lights at the top of the studio.

“Just letting them be them,” Mennell said, “is TV magic.”

Edelman and Gronkowski are also co-owners of Nuthouse Productions. During Saturday’s rehearsal of the pregame show, Edelman wore a hat that said “Welcome to the Nuthouse” in scripted font.

The burgeoning business has nine employees, including those working in audio, visual and social.

Nuthouse has launched two weekly podcasts: Games with Names, in which Edelman tries to determine the greatest game of all by interviewing players from those epic contests or celebrities who rooted for them, and Dudes on Dudes with Gronk and Jules, a podcast the FOX colleagues co-host and looks inside the locker room, determining whether a player was a “dog,” “freak” or a “stud.”

They put on a “Welcome to the Nuthouse” show at Fenway Park’s MGM Music Hall in late August, and Nuthouse is also in the process of trying to sell some scripted comedies to the networks or streaming services.

“(I) got a lot going on,” Edelman said.

Edelman is used to doing extra and being an overachiever. A seventh-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, Edelman initially earned playing time as special teamer and defensive back before accumulating 620 receptions for 6,822 receiving yards and 36 touchdowns during his 11-year NFL career.

He remains an overachiever in his post-NFL life.

“He does the same thing with TV,” Bill Richards, executive producer of FOX NFL Sunday, said. “He works hard at it.”

If Mennell puts his phone down during a Thursday night or Monday night NFL game, he’ll come back to 15 voice memos from Edelman, offering his insights.

He thrived in the live atmosphere before the Super Bowl LIX rematch between Eagles and Chiefs in Week Two. On the remote set in Lot C of the GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium parking lot, he barked out, “Let’s have the best show ever!”

“He’s like a shot in the arm,” Mennell said, “so much energy.”

Six hours before the Eagles-Chiefs game, he handed out Arthur Bryant’s ribs to Chiefs fans, who encircled the set, and took selfies.

Edelman will have some special assignments for FOX NFL Kickoff, which is hosted by Charissa Thompson, from Foxborough this week. There he’ll earn the prestigious induction — along with head coach Bill Parcells — into the Patriots Hall of Fame.

“If you were to tell me as a rookie at rookie camp that I would be going into the Hall of Fame,” Edelman said before pausing, “I’m living proof that if you work hard and take advantage of the resources … anything can happen.”