Julian Edelman gives his pick for the best Patriots team of all time

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Julian Edelman gives his pick for the best Patriots team of all time

Posted By: jasabacklink January 18, 2024

Patriots

“Making the play when his team needed it.”

Julian Edelman played a key role in New England’s win over the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX. (Barry Chin / Globe staff)

With six Super Bowl titles won over the span of two decades, Patriots fans have no shortage of options when it comes to choosing their favorite roster ever assembled in Foxborough.

While some franchise fixtures like Bill Belichick and Tom Brady were constants throughout New England’s unequaled reign atop the NFL, every one of New England’s Super Bowl winning squads featured its own unique identity, challenges and memorable moments.

With three Super Bowl titles — and one Super Bowl MVP — on his resume, former Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman served as a key cog on several stacked teams during his time in New England.

But during an Instagram Reel posted on Tuesday, Edelman gave his pick for the greatest Patriots team of all time — choosing the 2014 New England squad that beat the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX.

“For me, 2014,” Edelman said of his top choice for the best team in franchise history. “We were all healthy. We had (Danny) Amendola, (Rob) Gronkowski, (Dont’a) Hightower. (Matthew) Slater on special teams. (Tom Brady) just (expletive) carrying the flag out. Down 10 points (in the Super Bowl). Mental toughness just through the roof in the fourth quarter and Malcolm Butler making an insane play. Making the play when his team needed it.”

While New England’s 28-3 comeback against the Falcons tends to resonate as the signature win for most fans during the second leg of New England’s dynasty, Edelman’s assessment is correct when it comes to just how loaded that 2014 Patriots team was.

Unlike 2016 (when Gronkowski was on injured reserve during Super Bowl LI against Atlanta), Brady had his full assortment of weapons in Super Bowl XLIX against one of the greatest defensive units ever assembled in Seattle’s “Legion of Boom”.

Beyond the names that Edelman mentioned, other key players on that 2014 Patriots team included Vince Wilfork, Chandler Jones, Rob Ninkovich, Patrick Chung, and Darrelle Revis.

Butler’s last-minute interception sealed New England’s first Super Bowl title in a decade, and ended a memorable playoff run that also saw the Patriots overcome two 14-point deficits in the same game en route to a 35-31 win over the Ravens in the AFC Divisional Round.

Here is Edelman’s full list of the greatest Patriots teams of all time.

  1. 2014 Patriots (Beat Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX)
  2. 2016 Patriots (Beat Falcons in Super Bowl LI)
  3. 2007 Patriots (Lost to Giants in Super Bowl XLII)
  4. 2004 Patriots (Beat Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX)
  5. 2001 Patriots (Beat Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI)

It’s to be expected for Edelman to give a shoutout to a 2016 Patriots team that he played for and a 2007 roster that went 18-0 before losing to the Giants. But that 2004 Patriots team had a downright dominant defense, and the 2003 Patriots (14-2 record, 32-29 win over Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII) also deserves some props as well.