The New England Patriots have remained diligent this offseason in re-signing their key roster pieces back to long-term deals to keep them in town for the foreseeable future. Guys like Rhamondre Stevenson, Kendrick Bourne, Kyle Dugger, and Christian Barmore are just a few who have managed to reach fresh terms to keep their services in Foxboro for 2024 and beyond.
However, one big name on the team still stands out as he lies on an expiring contract heading into next offseason, that being multi-time Pro Bowler Matthew Judon.
Contract talks have seemingly remained persistent between both Judon and the Patriots as the summer has progressed, yet we haven't seen anything come to form. As Week One nears closer and closer, pressure continues to build surrounding the situation, with many wondering if we'll see a new contract develop at all.
But now, it seems that if the two sides can't make something work before the season kicks off, we could be in for a rude awakening in New England.
According to Patriots reporter Greg Bedard, while the veteran pass rusher has said all of the right things on the surface, sources seem to indicate that we shouldn't expect to see Judon play in New England under his current contract.
"He may be playing nice publicly, and he has. He has said all of the right things, and if you want to believe him, take him at his word, go right ahead. I'm not going to stop you. What I can tell you is from the people that I've talked to, he is not going to play under his current contract-- at least for the Patriots. I can't talk about any place else. I don't know exactly what's been communicated to the team, but that's my understanding."
- Greg Bedard, Boston Sports Journal
Judon currently sits on the last season of his four-year, $52 million deal that he signed with New England back during the 2021 spring. His performance during his past three campaigns (outside of an injury-riddled 2023) has warranted a bit of a pay raise to come his way, yet an agreement between him and the Patriots has yet to come to fruition.
As Judon's current contract places him right outside the top 25 edge rushers in terms of APY at $11.25M a season per Over The Cap, it makes sense for the 32-year-old to aspire some new numbers on his deal to move him up the ladder. The top pass rushers in the NFL are coming into next season valued around $20 million a year, so the current terms New England has in place for Judon look pretty undervalued.
If the Patriots want to keep one of the cornerstones of their front seven in town, notable strides will have to be made on a new contract. Earlier reports indicate that there's a significant gap between the two parties when in recent negotiations, which may not bode well for this team's plans on the defensive side of the ball.
During his last season healthy in 2022, Judon posted a career-high 15.5 sacks, 60 combined tackles, and 14 TFLs en route to a top 10 placement in DPOY voting. The 2016 fifth-round pick may be getting up there in age for an edge rusher, along with possessing some potential durability concerns from last season, but his impact on the field and as a locker room vet is undeniable.
Expect contract talks between Judon and the Patriots to ramp up closer to the beginning of New England's training camp, which officially kicks off later this month on July 24th.
