Matthew Judon: New Patriots contract means more than just money

FOXBOROUGH — Matthew Judon was all smiles on the backfields of Gillette Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

After spending most of his time on the conditioning fields during the first week and a half of training camp, Judon and the Patriots agreed to a contract adjustment on Friday night. Essentially, Judon is now guaranteed significantly more of his salary, and can earn an additional $3 million in incentives.

“I haven’t been sad yet,” Judon said. “Me and the guys upstairs got something done as far as my contract. I’m happy. They’re happy. We shook hands. And now we’re playing football.”

Judon was a full participant in Sunday afternoon’s shorts-and-shells session and bullied the offensive tackles. During team periods, he registered three sacks and looked totally ready to go.

Since signing with the Patriots in 2021, Judon has undoubtedly been Bill Belichick’s best player. The edge rusher has registered 28 sacks, made back-to-back Pro Bowls, and he finished ninth if the Defensive Player of the Year voting last season. Beyond that, he’s been durable and accountable, appearing in all 34 games since signing; he’s been the kind of player the team wants to build around.

So for Judon, this new contract means more than just money.

“I think it represents that they want to keep me around here or keep me happy,” Judon said. “Or just (it’s) representing that they’ve seen what I did and they appreciate it, for the organization. When you do something like that — honestly, they didn’t have to if we’re being quite frank. They didn’t have to. They didn’t have to budge. They could have said, ‘You signed this. This is what you’re going to do.’ But they helped me out, so I can help the team out.”