FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots‘ first open training camp practice was kind of a dud. It was raining, there wasn’t much action, and the fans didn’t have a ton of juice.
Then Matthew Judon stepped to the podium.
Judon, who’s been open about his desire for a new contract, was a full participant in practice, eliminating any concerns of a holdout or a hold-in. But when asked about contract drama and trade rumors after practice, he gave one of the more candid interviews in recent Patriots history.
It certainly wasn’t something you would’ve seen if Bill Belichick still were the head coach.
Transcript of Matthew Judon’s News Conference
Honestly, there’s no sense in dressing this up with flowery prose or detailed context. We’ll just share the full transcript and let it speak for itself.
On whether he has an update on his contract status: “Y’all be knowing before me. But, honestly, it’s tough going into the last year of the deal. You kinda look at everybody around the league and in the building, and you see them getting deals done and worked out, and it’s tough to not be jealous or envious or something like that. But, honestly, I gotta focus on myself. I’m happy for those guys.
As much as everybody wanna see me stay around here for a long time, it’s really not up to me. I’d pay myself a lot of money and just stay around here for a long time — but it’s not up to me. So, you gotta ask those guys that’s making those decisions. And they’re trying to do what’s best for the team, rightfully so and understandably. They’re trying to put us in the right spot to win games, and leverage everybody’s contract and the right situation, make sure the salary cap is right.
So, where, if we get into a tough spot later in the year, we can sign players and what not. But it’s not up to me, I’d pay myself a lot of money and then just be cool with it.”
On staying with the Patriots long-term: “If it was me, then I’d love to stay here forever.”
On why he wants to stay with Patriots: “Honestly, I’m lazy, so I don’t wanna move again. But it’s the locker room. But it’s the locker room, bro. My teammates, (Deatrich Wise) … we kept a guy like Matthew Slater around. … (Dont’a) Hightower came back.
And so, it’s not just me that wants to stay. It’s a lot of guys that played a lot of good football around here that want to be around this organization and want to be in Foxboro. … It’s a lot of guys that get in here, get in the locker, and they get addicted to it. It’s an addicting locker room, and an addicting culture in there.”
On sharing an X post about being traded for Brandon Aiyuk: “Do I wanna be traded? Hell naw. I feel like when you’re traded, you don’t (have) no say … they just come to you and say, like, ‘Bro, you’re leaving.’ I don’t think nobody wants to be traded, honestly. But I told y’all, I don’t run my Twitter. People be tweeting stuff and I be reading and stuff, but I don’t run my Twitter.”
On his Patriots future: “It ain’t up to me. … You only can control what you can control. It’s so much stuff that goes on in our life day-to-day that we have to respond to. If I’m traded, that’s not up to me.
I’m responding to all the variables in my life, as a dad, as a son, as a brother, as an uncle, and as a football player. … If I got to San Francisco, or I’ve seen trades to Atlanta, Detroit, like all that stuff — stuff y’all see, I see as well. But I just don’t buy into it. Once they tell me I’m gone, that’s when I’m gone.”
On if he’s willing to play under his current contract: “I got to, honestly. Again, like, I signed a deal, my signature on it, so I gotta play on it. Would I like to? No. Do I think that’s my value? No. But again, that’s not up to me.”
On contract talks: “Y’all know what Matt Groh looks like, and Eliot (Wolf). … If Y’all can pull them to the side, ask them. Have a real conversation with them. Don’t be a reporter; have a real conversation with them. And if they give y’all that time, that’s when y’all get all y’all answers. Y’all can’t get no answers out of me. … I hope I can play here this year. … But if that’s not the case, that’s not the case.”
What Are Judon’s Contract Details?
In 2024, Judon will make a base salary of $6.5 million with per-game roster bonuses of $1 million, per Over the Cap. However, none of the money is guaranteed, and Judon’s contract is scheduled to void in 2025, putting him in line to hit free agency next March.
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Additionally, Judon will count $14.675 million against the salary cap next season. A trade before the start of the campaign would result in a $7.9 million dead cap hit but net cap savings of $6.7 million.
So, be it a restructuring or a trade, there’s a financial incentive for the Patriots to do something to Judon’s contract.
Could the Patriots Trade Judon?
In our recently published “bold predictions” piece, we predicted New England will trade Judon at some point in 2024. Again, that’s just a prediction, but moving Judon could make sense.
The Patriots’ defense played well in 2023 after Judon suffered a season-ending biceps tear, and the group has young, intriguing depth at edge rusher. Does New England really need to pay an aging pass rusher (he’ll turn 32 in August) who’s coming off a major injury?
There are arguments for and against it. Judon, who posted 32 sacks in his last 38 games, is one of the NFL’s best sack artists and a leader in the locker room. But the Patriots shouldn’t be in the business of paying for past performance, especially at positions of depth.
Despite Judon’s age, he still would be a valuable trade asset. In theory, the Patriots could include him in a package for either a receiver or an offensive tackle, two positions currently of greater need than an edge rusher.
The Patriots still have time to figure this out before it becomes a full-blown headache. But the clock is ticking, and this team can’t afford any major distractions as it enters a new era.