FOXBORO, Mass. — Several teams have contacted the Patriots to inquire about trading for pass rusher Matthew Judon, according to multiple reports.
Judon is seeking a new contract from the Patriots but has been practicing after a brief hold in. Judon had a heated exchange with head coach Jerod Mayo earlier in camp, and skipped two days of workouts.
Since that confrontation with Mayo on the practice field that resulted in him missing two sessions, the star edge rusher has been back at practice and participating as usual. That doesn’t mean he’s thrilled with his contract, though.
He’s made clear time and again that he wants a new deal and feels he’s underpaid after notching 32 sacks in 38 games with the Pats.
What remains to be seen is how this new Patriots front office led by Eliot Wolf handles a disgruntled leader of the team and how receptive they are to trade offers.
On the one hand, Judon’s value now isn’t likely as high as it would’ve been in April and they’d probably just be looking at a Day 3 pick in return for Judon. On the other hand, 32-year-old pass rushers coming off a season-ending injury don’t typically fit into the long-term plans of a rebuilding team, so the Pats might be wise to get anything they can back for Judon if they don’t plan to extend him.
Judon has been one of the Patriots’ best free-agent additions over the last decade.
He’s entering the final season of the four-year contract he signed with the Pats and has no additional guaranteed money. He made clear his frustrations in a news conference last week and expressed envy as he watched the Patriots re-sign or extend 12 other players while failing to get a deal done with Judon, arguably their best player over the last three years.
GO DEEPER
Wait, why are the Patriots extending so many players from a 4-13 team?
(Photo: Billie Weiss / Getty Images)
