A ‘prudent’ move? Inside Patriots’ decision to trade Matthew Judon

A ‘prudent’ move? Inside Patriots’ decision to trade Matthew Judon originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Matthew Judon has gone from sitting atop a flipped-over trash can in Foxboro to soon sitting inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

After a longstanding contractual impasse with the 32-year-old pass-rusher, the Patriots dealt Judon to the Falcons on Wednesday for a 2025 third-round pick, per league sources.

There were several teams interested in acquiring the 32-year-old, according to league sources, including the Bears, whose desire for a pass-rusher led them to offer a third-round selection of their own. The Patriots opted for the Atlanta pick and now own nine choices in the 2025 draft.

Multiple NFL executives expressed surprise that the Patriots were able to acquire a third-rounder for Judon’s services, particularly since the expectation from league executives outside Atlanta was that he’d soon come to terms on a new contract with the Falcons. One general manager used the word “shocked.” (Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports that no deal is imminent between Judon and Atlanta, and that Judon potentially could play the 2024 season on his current deal.)

Earlier this offseason, the Jets acquired 29-year-old pass-rusher Haason Reddick — who, like Judon, was in the last year of his deal and in need of a new contract — for a conditional 2026 third-round choice that could turn into a second-rounder. It’s a similar package to what the Patriots received for Judon, despite Judon being the older player and coming off an injury that limited him to four games last season.

For the Patriots, this was what one league source termed a “prudent” decision.

Judon would have made New England’s defense more formidable in 2024, and the Patriots defense likely will be the engine that keeps games close this coming season. There would have been value in working to keep Judon in order to make that side of the ball as competitive a unit as possible.

But given the organization’s trajectory at…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/prudent-move-inside-patriots-decision-134854500.html

Author : NBC Sports Boston

Publish date : 2024-08-15 13:51:50

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.