The New England Patriots are finalizing a two-year contract extension with wide receiver Julian Edelman, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The deal will take Edelman through 2021.

Edelman is coming off of a 2018 campaign in which he played 12 games and hauled in 74 receptions for 850 yards and six touchdowns. He then had a fantastic postseason, catching 26 passes for 388 yards and eventually earning Super Bowl MVP honors in the Patriots' run to a sixth Super Bowl championship.

The 32-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Kent State, was originally selected by New England in the seventh round (232nd pick overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft.

He was primarily a kick return specialist during his first four years in the NFL, but in his fifth season, he broke out as a receiving threat, snaring 105 balls for 1,056 yards and six scores.

Edelman has been an integral part of the Pats' aerial attack ever since, with his best season coming in 2016 when he finished with 98 catches for 1,106 yards while reaching the end zone three times.

He would end up missing the 2017 campaign due to a torn ACL.

With the Patriots losing tight end Rob Gronkowski to retirement and wide outs Cordarrelle Patterson and Chris Hogan to free agency, not to mention the fact that fellow receiver Josh Gordon is serving an indefinite suspension, Edelman will be that much more important to New England going into 2019.

On the way to winning another title this past season, the Pats won 11 games and captured their 10th straight AFC East division title.