FOXBORO, Mass. — Jerod Mayo took a page out of Bill Belichick’s book when asked about a recent trade rumor involving Matthew Judon. The New England Patriots head coach was kinder than his predecessor would’ve been, but he still stiff-armed a question about teams pursuing a trade for the star edge rusher.
Judon, of course, has gone public with his desire for a new deal and missed multiple training camp practices amid his contract dispute.
Jerod Mayo Punts Question About Matthew Judon Trade Rumor
On Monday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that “multiple teams” have contacted the Patriots about a trade for Judon, who’s entering a contract season and won’t see his $6.5 million salary guaranteed until after roster cutdowns.
Last week, Mayo chose to reveal he’d spoken to Kendrick Bourne after the receiver was named in trade rumors involving star receiver Brandon Aiyuk. So, did Mayo have a similar conversation with Judon after Fowler’s report?
“You know, we don’t really operate in rumors like that,” Mayo told reporters before Tuesday’s joint practice with the Philadelphia Eagles. “The conversations that I have with those players are pretty private. What I will say is that Judon has done a great job in the meeting room and done everything that we’ve asked. He’s meeting all the expectations.”
Aside from his public temper tantrum earlier in camp and multiple headline-generating press conferences, Judon’s been a good soldier at Patriots training camp. He’s been engaged and effective during practices, rarely looking like a player disgruntled over his contract situation.
For now, the Judon drama has quieted — and that’s probably by design.
PFN Analysis: Patriots Trying To Quiet Noise Around Judon
Judon became a distracting sideshow early in camp.
His animated discussions with Mayo and Patriots front office members generated immense debate, as did his wildly honest press conference in late July. Judon also called out the Patriots in multiple social media posts.
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Since then, Judon has given a far less candid interview, and Mayo has rejected an opportunity to say the same thing about him that he said about Bourne. We also got these remarks from defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington, who went out of his way to reference Judon’s now-infamous practice debacle:
“He’s been the same for us. For us and the defensive staff, he’s been Judon,” Covington said before Monday’s practice. “He’s been Matt Judon. He’s been great in the classroom. He’s been great for us in the practice. And I look at it like this, we all have bad days, right? If I asked anyone of you guys, all of you would raise your hand and say you had a bad day.
“Unfortunately for him, his bad day was on camera, just like our bad day would be behind doors. He had a bad day, and then that was it. Everybody got to see it, and other than that, the guy’s been who he’s been since we signed him a couple years ago. I have nothing but respect and love for Judon and what he can do and will do for this team.”
While Judon and his coaches are still saying more than they ever would’ve under Belichick, they’re clearly trying to defuse a situation that seemed ready to explode. And that’s the right call.
The Judon drama doesn’t help anyone, especially a rebuilding Patriots team that could be staring at a lost season. The Patriots have enough to worry about without everyone having to answer questions about Judon.
Nevertheless, the Judon situation needs to be resolved, one way or another. Let’s see what happens over the next few weeks.