The New England Patriots’ biggest decision ahead of Week 17 was to keep receiver Julian Edelman from returning to action for 2020. They placed him on injured reserve after playing six games with a knee issue. But he couldn’t make a return to the field, perhaps in part because the Patriots were out of playoff contention.
But that non-transaction, with Edelman reverting back to injured reserve after briefly returning to practice with the IR-return label, isn’t the only move the Patriots made this weekend. They made a flurry of transactions in preparation for the Week 17 — and some of them could impact the 2020 offseason, too.