Plymouth Argyle captain Joe Edwards says he is “absolutely made up” to have signed a new contract.
The 35-year-old has agreed a new 12-month deal at Home Park that ties him to the League One side until the summer of 2027.
Edwards first joined Argyle in the summer of 2019 and has gone on to make 282 appearances across seven seasons, scoring 24 goals.
“It’s a place I’ve been a part of now for so many years, so to extend that even longer is fantastic for myself and my family,” Edwards told BBC Radio Devon.
“We love it down here and it’s a part of my life now, which I want to keep going and keep enjoying, so I’m absolutely delighted we could extend it.”
Edwards has experienced highs and lows in his time at Argyle – he was part of the side promoted from League Two on average points after Covid-19 curtailed his first season at Home Park.
He took over the captaincy after Gary Sawyer was injured in 2020 and was made permanent skipper in the summer of 2021.
In that time he led Argyle to the 2023 League One title with a record 101 points and scored the winning goal against Hull City in the final game of the following season to keep them in the Championship.
After Wayne Rooney left in December 2024 an injured Edwards helped coach the side alongside caretaker boss Kevin Nancekivell as they beat Premier League Brentford in the FA Cup before going on to defeat six-time European champions Liverpool in a famous fourth-round tie at Home Park under new boss Miron Muslic.
He could not stop Argyle being relegated back to League One last season, but played 41 times in all competitions as Argyle narrowly missed out on the League One play-offs earlier this month having recovered from being bottom of the table in November after a superb run in 2026.
“I don’t think it was until I signed and I played that first season I realised how big of a club it is and how well supported it is,” added Edwards.
“Obviously in the years since then I’ve realised that even more and it’s one of the best supported clubs in England.
“The fan base and what they have to do to get to games is like no other, and the numbers they travel in and the fortress we can make Home Park with them behind us is incredible.
“I don’t think you quite realise until you’re a part of it, and also when you see success and not success, you realise what sort of a club it is.”
Edwards will turn 36 at the end of October and knows that a career that has seen him play 586 games across the EFL and non-league for teams including Bristol City, Walsall and Yeovil Town will not last forever.
The club committed to helping Edwards get his coaching qualifications when he signed a new deal in October 2022.
But he says any thoughts about coaching will be put to one side as he still feels he has a lot left to offer on the field.
“The way the season has just gone makes me want to play and focus on playing as much as possible,” he said.
“Obviously if the season had gone slightly differently and maybe I didn’t play as many games, I played 41 games last year, maybe if I hadn’t have played that amount of games and it had been a bit more stop-start throughout the season I probably would have thought about the coaching side more.
“But I think when you have a season like that and you come off the back of it and you feel really good and fit it’s nice to think ‘I’m OK, I can concentrate on my playing as much as I can and help influence that for as long as I can’.
“Of course, at the back of your mind there’ll come a time when I’ll have to think about something else, but for me at the minute it’s full focus on playing.
“I’ve got this new contract now which I can enjoy and be a part of the playing side of it for another year at least and then we’ll see after that.”