With three Super Bowl triumphs and an MVP performance in Super Bowl LIII, New England Patriots great Julian Edelman was able to join the ranks of some of the greatest multi-time champion athletes in American sports. That all started nearly 10 years ago in Super Bowl XLIX, when the Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks to give Edelman his first of three championships -- putting him in leagues with one particular champion who needed Edelman to win that game.
During an appearance on "Games with Names," Edelman recalled a time where he met both Derek Jeter and Michael Jordan a week before the Super Bowl, remembering that Jordan was "standoffish" and didn't talk with him until he sent a very deliberate message as the two were about to part ways.
"As soon as the conversation's about to end, like five minutes in, I'm about to leave, Jordan comes up to me and he goes, 'Hey kid, I got a bunch of money on you. Don't f--k it up,'" Edelman said. "And that's the only thing he said to me."
"I got a bunch of money on you... don't f--k it up!" 😭
— br_betting (@br_betting) December 19, 2023
Michael Jordan let Julian Edelman know he had money on the Patriots before Super Bowl XLIX...
(via @gameswithnames @Edelman11 @bertkreischer) pic.twitter.com/R3t1sNF5Ws
Edelman would hold up his end of the bargain, leading the Patriots in receiving with nine catches for 109 yards and the go-ahead touchdown just before the two-minute warning. The Patriots' victory was secured when rookie cornerback Malcolm Butler intercepted Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson at the 1-yard line, giving Edelman his first Super Bowl triumph.
