Rob Gronkowski thrilled by Julian Edelman’s decision to join ‘FOX NFL Kickoff’ - “Going to be a lot of fun”

Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski have been teammates with the New England Patriots from 2010 to 2018. During that period, they won three Super Bowl titles as part of an offense led by quarterback Tom Brady. Edelman even became the MVP of Super Bowl LIII when they defeated the Los Angeles Rams.

Half a decade after playing together, Edelman and Gronkowski will suit up again for the same team. However, they won’t put on pads and helmets anymore. Instead, they will dissect the game on FOX Sports’ NFL broadcast panel.

Julian Edelman joins Rob Gronkowski on FOX Sports

The media conglomerate announced that Julian Edelman will join the “FOX NFL Kickoff” crew as a regular analyst for the 2023 NFL season. He will join Charissa Thompson, Charles Woodson, and Michael Vick on the network’s pre-game show before FOX NFL Sunday.

Rob Gronkowski shared the announcement via Instagram story with the caption:

“Welcome to the FOX team Jules!! @Edelman11 Going to be a lot of fun with both of us champions in the studio live talking football together”

Rob Gronkowski congratulated Julian Edelman for joining the FOX Sports NFL broadcast crew. (Image credit: gronk on Instagram)

Meanwhile, Edelman also posted on Instagram, saying:

“Our long national nightmare is over. Football is back. Fired up to be joining the FOX NFL Kickoff crew this year. Let's get to work.”

Gronkowski appeared on both NFL Kickoff and NFL Sunday last season. He first joined the network as a commentator on FOX NFL Thursday during his brief retirement in 2019.

Julian Edelman joined the New England Patriots as a seventh-round pick in 2009. A year later, the Patriots selected Rob Gronkowski in the second round. Aside from Super Bowl LIII, they’ve also won Super Bowls XLIX and LI as teammates. Edelman caught the game-winning touchdown in the earlier Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks.

The former Kent State standout retired in 2020 after playing his entire 12-season career with the Patriots. Meanwhile, the tight end from Arizona joined Brady and led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to victory in Super Bowl LV.

Julian Edelman drew flak for visiting New York Giants’ 2023 training camp

While Edelman made some of the biggest plays in NFL history, Patriots fans criticized him for visiting the New York Giants training camp. On Instagram, Rob Gronkowski’s teammate even shared photos of him talking to head coach Brian Daboll and quarterback Daniel Jones.

The team’s devoted supporters cannot stand the visual because the Giants defeated the Patriots in Super Bowls XLII and XLVI. Edelman was already with New England in their second defeat to New York.

The Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles were the only teams that beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl during the Tom Brady era. Meanwhile, Brady will join FOX as their analyst during NFL games next season.