What kind of deal does Judon want? Perry and Curran weigh in originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
Matt Judon and the New England Patriots appear no closer to agreeing on a new contract with training camp expected to begin this week.
The four-time Pro Bowl linebacker is set to earn $6.5 million in 2024 but is looking for a raise before the new season. Henry McKenna of FOX Sports reported last week that the Patriots offered Judon a new deal, but the two sides were still not close.
Judon’s contract saga took a bizarre turn over the weekend when he Republished hypothetical trade by user that would send him to the San Francisco 49ers. In going over the trade, Judon seemed to suggest he wanted out of New England. But on Monday, ESPN’s Mike Reiss said 98.5 The Sports Center “the parties are talking” and “normally, when both parties are talking, a resolution is reached”.
So what should we make of the situation? What does Judon look for in a business? NBC Sports Boston Patriots insiders Phil Perry and Tom E. Curran argued Monday Early Edition.
“It looks like we are not on the verge of Judon being off the team. But when you’re retweeting business proposals that have actually been sent out of town, I would say overall, that’s not a great thing,” Perry said. “If he’s not demanding a trade, it seems like, based on the social media use, he is at least open to it.
“Now, does he expect to be traded and end up getting a new contract with whatever team he’s on? And that example was the 49ers. You can bet he wants some guaranteed cash.
“Last year he had $2 million guaranteed from his 2023 portion of his deal. The Patriots gave him a big raise. He had 14 million at the end that was guaranteed for him. So they might do something similar to this year and guarantee him 10, 11, maybe even $12 million to get him back to where he belongs when you look at the hierarchy of pass rushers in the league? I would say it’s worth doing something like that.”
Curran sees Judon suiting up for the Patriots this year. However, he is hesitant to say the soon-to-be 32-year-old should be paid more than $12 million.
“What we don’t know is exactly what Matthew Judon wants,” Curran said. “Does he want to be among the top 10 highest-paid pass rushers in the league? I mean, he was a Pro Bowl player. a guy who should be paid among the top 10 pass rushers. If that’s the case, the Patriots have to go beyond 10, 11 or $12 million to satiate him. That, I think, for a 32-year-old pass rusher who. was injured last year and there are seasons where he is less productive after a few waves of productivity, I would take a while to do that.
“Matthew Judon, to me, I believe will play for the Patriots this year. He will play well for the Patriots this year. time, and he’s saying, ‘I don’t mind going to San Francisco and getting paid from them, they’re probably a better team than this.’
“But in the end, I think he would be happy to continue that experience, because everything he said, including, ‘I want to finish my career in New England,’ indicates that he enjoys playing for the Patriots.”
Judon recorded a career-high 12.5 sacks in 2021 and 15.5 in 2022. Last season, he played in just four games due to a season-ending elbow injury.
His contract status will be one of the biggest stories heading into Patriots training camp, which he and his fellow veterans are expected to report back on Tuesday. It will be worth monitoring his presence in the team’s first training session, on Wednesday.
