While the New England Patriots have seen unprecedented levels of success in their current uniforms, winning six Super Bowl titles and playing for three others since the set was introduced in 2000, there’s no denying they’ll forever be linked with Tom Brady’s tenure.
And though it remains to be seen if the 42-year-old heads elsewhere as a free agent this offseason or eventually retires with New England, one could argue his departure would be the perfect time for the the franchise to unveil a new look.
Now we know the process for unveiling new uniforms takes approximately two years, so the timing would be more coincidental than anything if Brady ultimately does leave town this offseason. But unconfirmed rumors of a potential change for the Patriots have been swirling for weeks, and fuel was only added to the fire when wide receiver Julian Edelman tweeted the following photo on Friday afternoon.
A close examination of the tweet reveals Edelman simply photoshopped his face onto an old picture of former New England quarterback Drew Bledsoe, as evidenced by the Starter logos on the sleeves of the jersey and the style of facemask on the helmet. But the fact that he would take the time to acknowledge the rumors is certainly noteworthy.
The Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the only teams that have announced upcoming uniform and/or logo changes, so we’ll see if New England joins the club or if Edelman was simply teasing a throwback to the Patriots’ 1995-99 set, which included a pair of oversized Flying Elvis logos on the shoulders.
It could also mean nothing, though, as Edelman has used photoshop for his (and our) amusement in the past. Of course, we’ll continue to monitor the situation and bring you the news if the Patriots do announce any uniform changes ahead of the 2020 season.
Photo via @Edelman11 on Twitter.