Patriots star edge rusher Matthew Judon was seen having a heated interaction with New England coach Jerod Mayo and team front-office members this week.
Following the tense interaction, Judon was seen exiting practice and did not return. It's yet another wrinkle in the topsy-turvy Judon offseason contract saga, one that does not appear to be ending anytime soon. The veteran defender is entering the last season of a four-year, $56 contract signed before the 2021 campaign.
Just last week, Judon told reporters: "I signed the deal; there's my signature on it, so I've got to play on it. Would I like to? No. Do I think that's my value? No. But again, that's not up to me."
Judon's first two seasons in New England were highly productive after signing from Baltimore. He earned back-to-back Pro Bowl nods by notching consecutive sack tallies of 12.5 and 15.5 before missing most of the 2023 season with injuries
In a clip of his heated discussion with Mayo, Judon could be seen donning sweatpants with a sweatshirt and sitting on a trash can adjacent to the practice. This is where his testy interaction with Mayo occurred; executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and director of player personnel Matt Groh were also present.
The former Raven missed voluntary workouts earlier this offseason but has been ever-present at the team's recent July practices. However, it should be noted that Monday's practice was the team's first in pads.
"The pads went on and they know the risk is a little bit greater," ESPN's Adam Schefter said today on the Pat McAfee show. "It’s the reason the Packers got the deal done [with Jordan Love] before their very first padded practice."
“I don’t want to be the villain, I don’t want to be the bad guy," Judon stated on the "Shut Up Marc" podcast. "But it’s like shoot bro, help me out, we got the most cap in the league right now.”
Last Wednesday, Judon was asked by fans while signing signatures about his contact status, and he said, "Would you tell your kids to take less money for their job?"
Additionally, the veteran pass rusher recently liked a tweet of a proposed trade that would send him to San Francisco along with a second-round pick for receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
Back in May, Judon tweeted (with no caption) a GIF of the famous Leonardo DiCaprio "I ain't ------- leaving" scene from the "Wolf of Wall Street."
While the Patriots may have some issues on the offensive side of the ball, the team returns a strong defense that was one of the league's best in 2023.
