On Wednesday, the New England Patriots held their first day of practice for training camp. A star player on the team said they were unhappy with their contract situation this summer.
A New England Patriots star wants a new deal
As previously discussed on GH, four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Matthew Judon is negotiating with the New England Patriots for a new contract. Judon said earlier this summer he didn’t plan to hold out during training camp:
“Right now, I’m just going to get ready to play,” Judon said on The Rich Shertenlieb Show. “You kind of keep throwing tantrums, tantrums, tantrums — and then you don’t come out there and do what you’re supposed to do — it kind of gets old real fast. I ain’t really trying to do that. I’m just trying to come out here and play football, get ready for this upcoming season, and put our defense and ourselves in a position to where we can win the most games, or to be the most effective.
“I ain’t worried about holding out, sitting out, or sitting in, kind of protesting. I’m just going to come out here and play ball, because last year, that stuff was trash. I ain’t really like that. I’m a football player. I don’t really want to get into the agency side. So that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to come out here and play some football.”
Matthew Judon is not happy with his current contract
Judon kept his word about not holding out. He was in attendance for Wednesday’s practice. Following the practice, Judon answered questions from the media about his contract. Judon said he doesn’t want to play on the deal but feels like he has no choice but to play under the current terms of his deal.
“I mean, I got to, honestly,” Judon said, per video posted on X by ESPN‘s Mike Reiss. “I signed a deal with my signature on it. Like, 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.”
Judon signed a $54.5 million deal in 2021. In the final year of his contract, he’ll earn $6.5 million for the upcoming season.
