Julian Edelman rips Jimmy Garoppolo for not playing through injury with Patriots in 2016 – Yahoo Sports

Another one of Jimmy Garoppolos former teammates is slamming the quarterback for how he handled injuries with the New England Patriots.

Former Patriots star wide receiver Julian Edelman said on the latest episode of the I Am Athlete podcast this week that he and several teammates were mad at Garoppolo during the 2016 season specifically when Garoppolo, who was filling in for a suspended Tom Brady, was ruled out of their game against the Buffalo Bills in Week 4 of the season. Jacoby Brissett, who was dealing with an injury of his own, took Garoppolos place.

"I don't know, we're all football players here, Edelman said. But Jacoby [Brissett], he tore ligaments in his thumb in the win against [the Texans in Week 3]. So we go into Week 4, and I guess Jimmy was practicing and then decided not to play. Jacoby played with no ligaments in his thumb, which you can't do that as a quarterback. You can't grip [the football].

"A lot of guys got mad at it. I'm not going to lie, I got mad about it. I sacrificed my body all day long. All day long. I was taking shots for this, numbing up that, ribs, broken ribs, shoulders, Grade 3, hanging on by limbs just to play.

That conversation started with Edelman reading comments that former Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett made last year.

Bennett called Garoppolo a bitch who quit on his team right before the game.

Thats why you cant win with a bitch as a quarterback, Bennett said at the time.

Garoppolo was traded to the San Francisco 49ers after that season.

Martellus Bennett also called Jimmy Garoppolo a derogatory word who quit on his team over the 2016 incident. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe/Getty Images)

Though he was widely expected to be one of the top quarterbacks in the league upon his arrival in the Bay Area, Garoppolo dealt with several high-profile injuries. He tore his ACL in 2018, and missed the rest of that season. He sprained his ankle in 2020, and had that season cut short, too.

Garoppolo has played just two full seasons, first in 2019 and again last year, though he split time with rookie Trey Lance.

Garoppolo is widely expected to be traded away before the season starts, though hes currently recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. The 30-year-old has one year left on his five-year, $137.5 million deal.

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While he was admittedly mad about the situation back in 2016, Edelman said he has a better understanding of Garoppolos motives now that some time has passed.

You also gotta look, he just got paid, Edelman said. He got paid [nearly] $30 million [a season]. So maybe Im the dumb guy who cant make as much money sacrificing for that team. I guess I played for the memories, not the money.

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Julian Edelman rips Jimmy Garoppolo for not playing through injury with Patriots in 2016 - Yahoo Sports