NFL Free Agent Rumors: New England Patriots re-sign Julian Edelman

January 19, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (11) against the Denver Broncos in the 2013 AFC Championship football game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Despite heavy courting from the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers, free agent wide receiver Julian Edelman will be returning to the New England Patriots.

That’s the word from NFL insider Ian Rapoport who reported the news on Saturday afternoon.

"The #Patriots and Julian Edelman agreed to terms, per source"

New England was said to be more concerned about losing free agent cornerback Aqib Talib (a player they did lose) and were afraid to commit to Edelman before Talib for financial reasons. However, once Talib was signed by the Denver Broncos the Patriots and Edelman began negotiating hard to complete a new deal.

Edelman proved to be one of New England’s most consistent receivers this season and a favorite target of quarterback Tom Brady, who targeted the veteran wideout 151 times this past season. Amazingly, Edelman hauled in 105 of those targets, picking up six touchdowns in the process.

Contractual details of the deal have yet to be released, though we will update the financial terms when they become available.

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