Judon’s contract sideshow at Pats camp raises plenty of questions originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
FOXBORO — Last season, Matthew Judon wasn’t psyched about his contract. Until he got the bump he desired on August 4, he attended practice but worked mainly on conditioning. He was never a full participant in a padded practice.
This year, Judon — again unhappy with his deal — participated much more in the Patriots first five workouts than last year. But when the pads came on Monday, Judon opted out. Conspicuously.
As his teammates did dynamic stretching at the start of practice, Judon sat watching from a big pile of pads on the sideline. When positional drills began, he sat on a blue, overturned garbage can like a man waiting on a park bench for a bus.
From Judon’s vantage point, a sit-in is understandable. His contract isn’t guaranteed until the first week of the season. If he blows a knee on the slick turf he’s out of luck.
The same situation plays out all over the NFL and has for years. But for first-year head coach Jerod Mayo, seeing his best pass rusher in a red hoodie sitting on an upside-down trash can watching his teammates practice apparently didn’t sit well.
As the team was doing positional drills, Mayo approached Judon. They had an animated discussion and surprisingly lengthy conversation. Then Judon walked off the field.
Jerod Mayo appears to exchange some words with Matthew Judon who is not participating in practice today. Judon seen exiting the field after their conversation 👀 pic.twitter.com/BJvP64tnpS
— NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSBoston) July 29, 2024
A few minutes after that, Judon returned. He went directly to personnel czars Eliot Wolf and Matt Groh for another animated discussion along the sideline while practice unfolded.
Judon frequently sent up the universal signal for “What am I supposed to do?” — palms turned to the sky and shoulders in a shrug. Ultimately, Judon trudged off the field a second time.
All this follows a scene…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/judons-contract-sideshow-pats-camp-213940812.html
Author : NBC Sports Boston
Publish date : 2024-07-29 21:39:40
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