Patriots trade Matt Judon to Falcons

Patriots trade Matt Judon to Falcons

As a result of the two sides not being able to agree to a contract extension, the New England Patriots have traded pass rusher Matt Judon to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a third-round pick, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter first reported Wednesday.

The Patriots have had a busy offseason re-signing defensive pieces such as Kyle Dugger, Davon Godchaux, Christian Barmore and Jabrill Peppers. Judon reportedly expressed some degree of jealously watching his teammates get paid while contract discussions with him were stalling out.

It was reported in July suggested that neither side was close to a new deal. Judon, 32, was entering the final year of a four-year, $51 million deal he signed in March of 2021. He has a $6.5 million base salary for the 2024 season, according to Spotrac.

Atlanta has not formally signed the EDGE rusher to an extension yet, but one could assume those discussions ramp up over the next several days … if it wants to avoid a Haason Reddick-Jets situation.

Judon, who’s got plenty of juice left in the tank, adds to a Falcons squad in desperate need of pass rush. He tore his lower bicep in Week 4 last season, but still tallied four sacks and five tackles for loss; he’s two seasons removed from finishing in the top-10 in defensive player of the year, tallying 60 combined tackles, 14 tackles-for-loss, 15.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

As for New England, it’s a tough pill to swallow losing Judon–albeit for a Day 2 pick–plus Barmore, who will be out for the foreseeable future with blood clots. They will try to replace Judon’s production with Jahlani Tavai, Josh Uche and Anfernee Jennings, among others.

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This is a breaking news story. Stay tuned for updates.

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