Braylon Jamel Edwards (born February 21, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was a unanimous All-American playing college football for the Michigan Wolverines, winning the Biletnikoff Award in 2004. He is the all-time leader for the University of Michigan in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. He was also the first wide receiver in Big Ten Conference history to record three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and only the third to do so in NCAA Division I-A. He was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the third overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft. He also played in the NFL for the New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks.
Edwards was born in Detroit, Michigan. During his three active high school years at Bishop Gallagher High School, Edwards played a variety of positions for his high school football team, and made 63 receptions for 740 yards and eight touchdowns.
Edwards attended the University of Michigan, following in his father Stan Edwards's footsteps, where he played for coach Lloyd Carr's Michigan Wolverines football team from 2001 to 2004. During his senior season in 2004, he set Michigan season records for receptions (97) and receiving yards (1,330), and career records with 252 receptions, 3,541 yards, and 39 touchdowns, a Big Ten record. Edwards also set the Michigan career record for the most games with 100 or more receiving yards (17). During the 2013 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, Jeremy Gallon eclipsed Edwards' school single-season receiving yardage record with a total of 1373.
Following his senior season, he won the Fred Biletnikoff Award given to the nation's top receiver, was awarded the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the Big Ten Conference's most valuable player, and was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American.
Edwards is the only wide receiver in Big Ten history and the third in NCAA Division I-A annals to gain 1,000 or more receiving yards in three consecutive years. Edwards concluded his college career by recording three touchdown catches in the 2005 Rose Bowl against the Texas Longhorns, tying the Rose Bowl record. Edwards also fell just short of eclipsing Jack Clancy's 10-game single-season records of 76 receptions and 1,077 yards by recording 76 and 1,049 in his first 10 in 2004.
Braylon Edwards also ran track and field at Michigan. His indoor 200 meter time of 21.81 seconds was the third fastest in school history at that time. Edwards also ran the 60-meter dash and the 100-meter dash. He placed third in the high jump at the 2003 Meyo Invitational, with a personal-best leap of 2.11 meters.
Edwards was selected in the first round (third overall) in the 2005 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns.
Edwards began his rookie season as Cleveland's third wide receiver—a holdout caused him to miss the beginning of training camp. Early in the season, Edwards revealed that he had a staph infection and missed a few weeks as a result. He moved into the starting lineup by midseason. He made his NFL debut versus the Cincinnati Bengals on September 11 and caught his first NFL touchdown at the Green Bay Packers on September 18. He amassed 512 receiving yards and three touchdowns before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Edwards had surgery in the offseason, and, while rehabilitating, bonded with Kellen Winslow II. Both were determined to make a full and speedy recovery.
Edwards, like Winslow, had a successful rehabilitation, enabling him to be ready to play in the team's opening game in 2006. Edwards became the top receiver for the Browns after an injury to Joe Jurevicius that season. Edwards totaled 61 receptions for 884 yards and six touchdowns on the season. At the end of the season, Edwards announced he would donate $500,000 to the University of Michigan to establish a scholarship endowment for football players. Edwards also had an altercation with Charlie Frye on the sidelines of a game in 2006. He said, "And they're talking about video games." Edwards continued to make headlines that season when he called out Mike Minter, Chris Gamble, Ricky Manning, and other defensive backs of the Carolina Panthers. Additionally, he attended the annual Michigan-Ohio State rivalry game despite being advised by several veteran captains not to go. Edwards was late getting back from Columbus and was late to a team meeting.
Edwards had a breakout season in 2007 and made his first Pro Bowl, becoming the first Browns receiver to make the Pro Bowl since Webster Slaughter in 1989. Edwards broke franchise records for receiving yardage with 1,289 receiving yards compared to Slaughter's record of 1,236 in 1989 and receiving touchdowns with 16 compared to Gary Collins's 13 in 1963. Edwards' 16 touchdowns were also second in the league behind only Randy Moss, who set an NFL record with 23 touchdowns.
Edwards publicly made a bet with Michael Phelps that he would catch 17 touchdowns in 2008. However, Edwards and the Browns struggled during the entire year. The Browns finished at 4–12, and Braylon led the NFL in dropped passes with 23. He caught only three touchdown passes.
On October 7, 2009, Edwards was traded to the New York Jets for wide receiver Chansi Stuckey, linebacker Jason Trusnik, and a third and fifth round draft pick in the 2010 NFL draft. Edwards cited a need for a "fresh start" following the deal's completion. In 12 games for New York, Braylon had 35 catches for 541 yards and four touchdowns. Braylon had his first taste of the postseason in the 2009–10 NFL playoffs. In the Jets' first two games, Braylon only had four catches for 56 yards, but in the AFC Championship against the Indianapolis Colts, Braylon caught an 80-yard touchdown pass to give the Jets their first points of the game. He finished the game with two catches for 100 yards and a touchdown as the Jets lost 30–17.
Edwards remained with the New York Jets in 2010, catching 53 passes for 904 yards and seven touchdowns.
On August 4, 2011, Edwards signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the San Francisco 49ers. The contract would have increased to $3.5 million had Edwards recorded a 90-yard catch or a Pro Bowl season. He started five games and was waived by the 49ers on December 27 without having achieved either incentive.
On July 31, 2012, Edwards signed a one-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks. On December 4, he was waived by the Seahawks.
Edwards was claimed off waivers by the Jets on December 11, 2012.
On July 25, 2013, Edwards re-signed with the Jets on a one-year contract with the Jets. He was waived by New York as a part of the team's final roster cuts on August 26.
Edwards was stopped at least seven times from 2002 to 2010 for speeding violations, the most recent of which was in October 2008 when he was pulled over for driving 120 mph in a 65 mph zone.