Former Patriots receiver Julian Edelman is heading to Fox Sports this NFL season to join the network’s NFL Kickoff show.
This won’t be Edelman’s first experience as an analyst on national television. The three-time Super Bowl champion will be leaving Inside the NFL, where he’s spent the past two seasons. He retired from the NFL after the 2020 season.
Edelman will replace new Broncos coach Sean Payton on the show after the coach spent one season working as an analyst before returning to the NFL. The 37-year-old Edelman will join Charissa Thompson, Charles Woodson, Michael Vick and Peter Schrager on NFL Kickoff.
Welcome to the crew, Julian Edelman! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/zKwCEEQF3Q
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) August 24, 2023
Fox Sports executive Brad Zager pointed to Edelman’s keen media sensibility as a primary reason his company was interested in hiring the former star wideout.
“It’s not just the fact that he’s done TV, it’s that he’s taken such an interest, even toward the end of his playing career,” Zager said, via The Associated Press. “He’s somebody that’s so engaging when you talk to him in person, or when you see the clips of him doing TV or doing these podcasts as he’s done. He’s also gained the credibility of fans with the teams that he was on.”
