Julian Edelman shared Jets, Knicks revoked deals, tickets from him

“The Jets didn’t want me there.”

After helping the Patriots win three Super Bowls in 12 seasons, Julian Edelman hasn’t received a warm welcome in New York. Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP Photo

The sports rivalries between teams from Boston and New York have provided some epic on-field moments over the years. They’ve apparently been the root for some petty off-the-field moments, too.

Julian Edelman shared on his podcast, “Games With Names,” that he’s had deals and tickets revoked with the Jets and Knicks due to his Patriots affiliation. The item came up in passing when Edelman asked former Patriots executive Scott Pioli about how the team messed with the Jets when they drafted offensive tackle Matt Light in 2001.

“It never gets old beating the Jets, right?” Pioli asked Edelman.

“Never,” Edelman said in agreement. “Even though I just got a deal taken off the table to go to a Jets game because the Jets didn’t want me there. It was some company and I was going to do this thing.”

Edelman didn’t disclose what company offered him the deal to go to a Jets game, but he was more specific when saying what happened to get his tickets to a Knicks game revoked.

“New York hates me,” Edelman said. “I tried to go to a Knicks game once and I got some floor seats. What’s his name? Nolan? Dolan? [Knicks owner] James Dolan heard and took them away because the Celtics were coming to town. There was some [expletive].”

Pioli had Edelman’s back.

“That’s dirty. I just marked that here,” Pioli said, pointing to his head. “He’s dead to me. It’s a tribe, man.”

“It’s an evil empire,” Edelman said with a laugh.

While the early seasons of Edelman’s career overlapped with the peak seasons in the Patriots-Jets rivalry, the New England icon mostly enjoyed success against New York. He had 79 receptions 855 yards and four touchdowns in 17 regular-season games against the Jets, with the Patriots winning 14 of those games.

Of course, the Jets defeated the Patriots in the lone playoff matchup between the two teams in Edelman’s career. Edelman didn’t receive much playing time in that game, recording just one catch and adding a carry for 12 yards.

Obviously, the Jets aren’t New York City’s only football team, either. Similar with the Jets, Edelman lost the biggest game between the Patriots and Giants in his career, falling in XLVI. He was still a depth receiver at the time, mostly being used for returns. Edelman was able to help the Patriots beat the Giants twice in the three regular-season games he played against them.

As for the story about Light, Pioli shared that the Patriots wanted the offensive tackle out of Purdue when their pick in the second round was approaching. So, Pioli called Light a few picks before the Patriots were on the clock to ask if he had heard from any other team.

Light shared that the Jets, who had the pick before the Patriots in the second round, were on the phone with him about possibly selecting him with their second-round pick. So, Pioli gave him an order.

“I said, ‘Matt, here we go, hang up but don’t tell the Jets who just called in. Just say someone else just called in, wrong number whatever, don’t tell the Jets that I just called,’” Pioli said of the Draft Day conversation he had with Light. “He said, OK,’ I said just trust me on this.”

Pioli knew the Patriots had to trade up, telling Bill Belichick they had to get on the phones to make a move in order to select Light. After a few calls, they finally found someone who was willing to make a deal.

“I call my boy Matt Millen at the Lions, who’s one one pick ahead of the Jets, and say, ‘Hey Matt we want to move up,’” Pioli recalled. “He says, ‘Yeah our guy just went. Give us a ham sandwich and we’ll swap.’ We were moving two spots.

“Sure enough, we make the trade right as the Lions went on the clock, called Matt Light, and I said, ‘Matt they still got you on hold?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah.’ I said, ‘Well screw them we just traded up. You’re a New England Patriot.”