Should the Patriots trade Matt Judon? Phil Perry weighs in originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
Matthew Judon’s contract impasse with the New England Patriots remains unresolved with less than a month until the team’s season opener.
The star outside linebacker want a raise of the $6.5 million he is expected to earn in 2024. The Patriots reportedly offered him a new contract earlier this summer, but the two sides remain far apart in negotiations.
Various teams since then contacted New England about a possible Judon tradeaccording to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. But would it make sense for the Patriots to pull the trigger on such a deal? Our Pats insider Phil Perry shared his thoughts on Monday Early Edition.
“It depends on what you’re trying to get out of this year,” he said. “If you’re trying to compete and win games on the defensive end, and trying to keep games close and low-scoring, you’ve got to try to figure something out with Matthew Judon. a jump of 6.5 (million). That’s not his market. They tried to make a leap from there, but couldn’t meet in the middle.
Perry believes that with the Patriots in a rebuilding phase, they should trade Judon if they can’t find common ground. The downside is that they probably wouldn’t get much value in return. Perry used trading Philadelphia Eagles edge rusher Haason Reddick to the New York Jets for a conditional third-rounder as an example.
“If they can’t do anything, they should try to trade him, because the other side of the competition now is, ‘Well, we’re not winning anything this year whether he’s here or not, so let’s see if we can be a valuable pick. But I don’t think they’re getting a valuable pick for Matthew Judon,” Perry said.
“You can look a few hundred miles south to see what’s going on with Haason Reddick right now. He’s about to turn 30, so he’s younger than Judon. the same way Judon was last year, and he opted for a conditional third round two years from now, which could end up being a second round. If you put Judon into the equation, you might be talking about a conditional – at least collision. lost a round – a conditional fourth in 2027. Like, this might be what you’re talking about if you trade this guy.
Judon signed a four-year, $54.5 million contract with the Patriots as a free agent in 2021. The soon-to-be 32-year-old recorded 12.5 sacks in 17 games in 2021 and a career-high 15 .5 sacks in 17 games in 2022. He recorded four sacks in four games in 2023 before suffering a season-ending biceps injury.
The Patriots will play their second preseason game this Thursday night against the Eagles.
