The New England Patriots traded Matthew Judon to the Atlanta Falcons on Wednesday after weeks of speculation regarding the pass rusher’s status with the team.
The four-time Pro Bowler is entering the final year of his contract and wanted a new one. The 31-year-old voiced his displeasure with his contract situations and even had “animated” discussions with Patriots personnel during the first padded practice. Judon didn’t play in New England’s preseason opener, but was on the sideline with everyone else.
Now after not being able to come to terms — and seeing several of his now-former teammates get extensions — Judon finds himself in Atlanta with a fresh start.
Here’s what some around the NFL are saying about the trade.
“Spoke to an NFL executive who’s surprised the Patriots landed a third-round pick for Matthew Judon. He thought they’d only be able to get a fifth back.”
“The Patriots’ defense takes a major hit with no Matthew Judon and Christian Barmore’s status unknown, but I didn’t think they could get a third-round pick for a soon-to-be 32-year-old defender coming off a season-ending injury on a contract year who wants a raise/new deal.”
Marc Raimondi and Mike Reiss, ESPN
“The Falcons and Judon have not hammered out a contract for next season yet, but plan on working toward one before the start of the season, a source told ESPN’s Dan Graziano. … The Falcons have not had a double-digit sack leader since Vic Beasley in 2016, which corresponds to their last Super Bowl appearance. Atlanta lost edge rusher Bralen Trice, a rookie third-round pick, for the season due to a knee injury suffered last Friday night in a preseason game against the Miami Dolphins.”
Josh Kendall, Chad Graff and Jeff Howe, The Athletic
“On the one hand, this is great value for a disgruntled player coming off a season-ending injury who turns 32 years old on Thursday. The Patriots have handed out extensions to virtually every eligible player from last season’s 4-13 debacle, but drew the line with Judon. While he had been their best player for long stretches over the last three years, it’s hard to see how a 32-year-old with injury risks fits into the long-term plans for a rebuilding team.
“On the other hand, an already-bleak Patriots outlook in 2024 now gets a bit more grim. Without Judon last season, the Patriots’ pass rush struggled. Only Christian Barmore notched more than five sacks. But now Judon is gone and Barmore is out indefinitely after a blood clot diagnosis. So the Patriots’ pass rush could be in store for a tough season. And that’s on top of mighty struggles from the offense this training camp, painting a potentially bleak scene for 2024.”
Alex Barth, 98.5 The Sports Hub
“It sucks to see Matthew Judon’s time in New England end like this. No player was the face of the franchise more than Judon in the post-Brady era. But, realistically this is what was best for both sides at this point. As for the return, the Patriots did well. A top 100 pick for a player over 30 on an expiring deal this time of year is a good get.”
“Falcons had the lowest available salary cap space of any team before trading for Matthew Judon, so expect a few moves to free up cap space by simple restructures. Chris Lindstrom and Jessie Bates would be an obvious start — can free up $16 million with those two alone.”
“A third-rounder in next year’s draft for Matthew Judon is a better return than I anticipated. Patriots get worse defensively for 2024 but pick up an asset to build next offseason.”
