Patriots fans loved Matthew Judon. And New England‘s players, coaches, and executives publicly expressed similar sentiments about the star edge rusher, who seemingly was as easy-going off the field as he was dominant while on the gridiron. However, according to a new report, it was a very different story behind the scenes.
Matthew Judon Reportedly Wore Out His Welcome Before Patriots Trade
Judon’s summer-long contract drama ended in mid-August when the Patriots traded the disgruntled edge rusher to the Atlanta Falcons. It was a disappointing outcome for the Patriots and Judon, who went from being a supposed team-first tone-setter to someone throwing temper tantrums during practice.
Last Thursday, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer offered insight into how Judon wore out his welcome in New England.
“Judon was not as well-liked by the coaches and front office people as you might have thought,” Breer said during an NBC Sports Boston segment. “That was really part of it at the end, was that they were just sick of him.
“They felt like there was the public-facing Judon, and then there was Judon behind the scenes. The Judon behind the scenes had sort of become a little bit of an operator, and his act had worn thin with people inside the building. And it’s something that was an issue in Baltimore, too, quite honestly.”
"There was a little bit more to the Judon trade than just the contract situation." @AlbertBreer gives insight into the Matthew Judon trade, and why in the end the Patriots were 'just sick of him.' pic.twitter.com/UBX1BAA0eI
— NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSBoston) August 23, 2024
Judon generated positive publicity during the last two offseasons when he publicly lobbied for NFL stars to join the Patriots. But people in Foxboro, Mass., didn’t buy it, according to Breer.
“It’s not saying he’s a bad guy, but there was some of this sort of cheerleader stuff on social media that a lot of people in the organization would roll their eyes at,” Breer said.
“And then when he became a problem this summer, there was, ‘All right, what do we do to move him off the roster now? Because we’re trying to build a new program, and we don’t want this hovering over us.’ So, I think there’s a little bit more to the Judon trade than just the contract situation.”
PFN Analysis: How will Patriots Replace Judon?
The Judon trade makes a lot of sense for the Patriots in a vacuum, but it’s still a risky move. You can click here to read our full breakdown of what the trade could mean for New England’s future.
But what about the trade’s impact on this season?
Believe it or not, the Patriots are relatively well-positioned to absorb the loss of Judon on the field. Losing Judon and Christian Barmore is too much, but New England has strong in-house options on the edge.
Perhaps Joshua Uche (three sacks in 2023) will recapture his 2022 form when he posted 11.5 sacks.
Second-year edge defender Keion White appears ready for a breakout and can play both standing up and with his hand in the dirt.
Anfernee Jennings isn’t a great pass rusher, but he sets the best edge on the team. And veteran Deatrich Wise Jr. is 30 years old but remains rock-solid at defensive end.
MORE: Simulate the NFL Season With PFN’s Playoff Predictor
And then there’s former New York Giant Oshane Ximines, one of the pleasant surprises of training camp. The sixth-year pro struggles against the run, and he dealt with injuries late in camp, but he flashed pass-rush upside most of the summer and was a top performer in the preseason opener.
That’s not to say Ximines will be Rob Ninkovich 2.0, but don’t be surprised to see him come out of nowhere to give the Patriots solid production this season.
Oshane Ximines popped as both a pass rusher and run defender vs the Panthers, continuing what's been an impressive summer
Given all the uncertainty surrounding the #Patriots OLBs, he could prove to be a valuable rotational piece along the DL pic.twitter.com/47zSXbRSSu
— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) August 9, 2024
The Patriots don’t have anyone with the immediate upside of Judon, who still might have a 15-sack season in him. Even the most optimistic projections for White don’t have the 2023 second-rounder playing at that level.
But New England has sneaky-good depth on the edge, and the group’s ceiling remains relatively high even without Judon. It just lacks someone who can strike fear into the hearts of opposing quarterbacks.