NFL wide receiver Julian Edelman missed all of last year recovering from an injury. This year, not only did he rejoin his New England Patriots, but the team won Super Bowl LIII and Edelman received MVP honors last night.
"I didn't see that coming, really," Edelman, who was still in Atlanta Monday, told "Good Morning America." "I was just so happy we won the game. It's tough football. We had a resilient group out there that just kept hitting at the door and finally it broke when it had to and we were able to sneak away with a win."
FULL INTERVIEW: Our very own in-house #SuperBowl champ, @michaelstrahan, one-on-one with #SuperBowl53 MVP Julian @Edelman11 LIVE from Atlanta, fresh of his #SB53 win! https://t.co/GcwZNznTMs pic.twitter.com/J3aGBhu09B
— Good Morning America (@GMA) February 4, 2019
The Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams, 13-3, to capture the team's sixth Super Bowl victory.
Edelman, who led the team with 10 receptions for 141 yards, credited the defense with the win.
"Our defense played lights out," he said of the defense, which kept the league's top offense without a touchdown.
Edelman called the win "awesome" and said he was still "excited" -- but also tired.
"I'm just happy, I'm content," he said, "and I'm exhausted."
"They're like children, you love them all the same," Edelman said of his wins. "That's at least what my parents told me but I'm pretty sure they like my sister the best. Darn you, mom and dad."
Less than 12 hours after the win, Edelman added that he was still coming to terms with it.
"This one hasn't even sunken in yet, honestly, so we'll see," he said. "Next one's my favorite one."
Edelman's quarterback and teammate Tom Brady congratulated him with a hug after the game.
"When you play professional football ... you spend more time with these guys in the locker room than you do with your family for 8 months of the year and you know guys in and out," he said. "It's almost like a marriage. This isn't just with me and Tom. This is with multiple guys."
