New England Patriots News & Rumors

Matt Judon did not take part in New England’s training camp practices last Monday, and he was away from the team the following day. Conversations with the team’s top decision-makers has followed, but the veteran edge rusher does not appear to be any closer to a contract resolution.

Judon has taken part in each of the past four practices while he continues to seek out a new contract. One year remains on the four-time Pro Bowler’s current pact, and he is due $7.5MM in total compensation. That falls well short of the value of edge rushers with the production Judon has provided in New England (32 sacks in 33 games). His biceps injury limited him to four contests in 2023, though, something which has hurt his leverage in contract talks.

“We have a market, it’s set by the highest [paid] guy, then everybody falls in line until the next person is up to break that contract,” the soon-to-be 32-year-old said when addressing his situation publicly on Monday (via ESPN’s Mike Reiss). “Coming from the season I had, I was injured mostly all season, so that’s not really where my market is. But like I said, I don’t think it’s $6.5 [million, his scheduled base salary].”

New England’s front office is now led by Eliot Wolf, and his first offseason at the helm has been defined by a long list of players receiving new deals and extensions. Christian Barmore, Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers and, most recently, Davon Godchaux are among the defenders to land a Patriots contract this offseason. Judon is believed to have received at least one offer from the team on a restructure or extension, though he has denied that.

The former fifth-rounder did not speak about his social media remarks during his Monday availability, nor did he go into detail about where things currently stand on the contract front. Judon will continue taking part in practices to avoid fines, and he has expressed a willingness to play out the final season of his pact as currently constructed after last year’s holdout. He made it clear, however, that a deal allowing him to continue in New England remains the target, pending how the team’s front office proceeds.

“Like I told you all before, I would pay myself and we’d never talk about it,” he said. “But it’s not up to me. I told you all I wanted to stay here the rest of my career.”

AUGUST 4: Judon continues to participate in practice after his brief holdout, as Reiss observes. Multiple sources tell Reiss that the situation has “simmered” but is still unresolved since Judon’s contract has not yet been adjusted.

AUGUST 1: The Patriots ended one contract dispute yesterday by reaching an extension agreement with defensive tackle Davon Godchaux. The future of edge rusher Matt Judon remains a key talking point, however.

The latter did not participate in Monday’s padded practice, the first one of training camp. Judon was then absent altogether from Tuesday’s practice with communication ongoing between he and Patriots decision-makers. Wednesday was an off day for New England, and it allowed for head coach Jerod Mayo to have what he described as a “great meeting” with the four-time Pro Bowler.

“I have a great relationship with Matthew,” Mayo said (via ESPN’s Mike Reiss). “I have a great relationship with the players. We’re moving forward… I always encourage those guys to come in and speak with me, or speak with [de facto general manager] Eliot [Wolf]. That’s what it is and those things should happen inside those walls.”

One year remains on Judon’s deal, and he is due $7.5MM in 2024. That figure includes a $6.5MM base salary which will not become guaranteed until just before Week 1. The 31-year-old joined Godchaux in expressing frustration with how numerous other in-house players received deals this offseason, the first of the Wolf-Mayo regime. Judon has reportedly received offers for a revised contract – not unlike the added incentives which temporarily ended his 2023 holdout – though he has publicly denied that.

In any case, the former fifth-rounder is taking part in Thursday’s practice, Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald notes. That is an encouraging sign in this situation, although until a restructure or extension is worked out questions will continue to linger over Judon’s short- and long-term future with the organization. Having amassed 32 sacks in 33 Patriots games, he is positioned to remain a key member of the team’s front seven for at least one more year.

The Grand Valley State product was limited to just four games last season due to a biceps tear, however. His age and injury represent factors which could lead Wolf and Co. to hesitate with respect to giving out a long-term deal or, perhaps, even a one-year bump in pay. After a number of updates earlier in the week suggesting tensions had boiled over in this situation, though, a positive development appears to have taken place.

1:47pm: Pushing back on these reports, Judon has denied (via his X account) the Patriots have extended him an offer. While this could boil down to the difference between a 2024-only adjustment and a true extension, Judon remains at odds with the team ahead of his fourth season in New England.

12:19pm: Matt Judon‘s Patriots situation has shifted considerably since training camp began. Not going through with a full-on hold-in at camp’s outset, the team’s top edge rusher moved in that direction and then missed Tuesday’s practice.

This process has included an on-field conversation with Eliot Wolf and fellow exec Matt Groh. Judon indeed missed Tuesday’s Patriots practice because he seeks a contract update, according to The Athletic’s Dianni Russini. The Patriots have since made an offer, potentially helping smooth things over with one of the few key players the team has not paid this offseason.

The Pats offered “a few” revised contracts before training camp, Russini adds. It would appear the team has not yet proposed a lucrative extension, making Judon an outlier this year. Russini notes the offers would have reworked Judon’s deal.

The former free agent signee has admitted to being envious as the Pats have swerved toward paying their own lucrative contracts under Wolf. The team has retained Christian Barmore, Michael Onwenu, Kyle Dugger, Rhamondre Stevenson and Hunter Henry on pricey contracts. They also paid Jabrill Peppers this week. This run of big-ticket deals veers from the Bill Belichick path, and the moves have prompted some who have not been paid — namely Judon and Davon Godchaux — to take action. Godchaux, who joins Judon in a contract year, is staging a partial hold-in.

Belichick resolved the Judon matter with a reworking last summer. The Pats gave the former Ravens OLB draftee a $3MM pay bump and an incentive package, though the biceps injury Judon sustained early last season prevented him from triggering any of those escalators. Set to turn 32 next month and coming off a major injury, Judon is not in a great place to negotiate a notable extension. While he has been productive for the Patriots when on the field, it would be understandable if a rearranged front office would have doubts about paying an older rusher market value coming off an abbreviated season.

Judon, who did not join Godchaux in sitting out minicamp, saw that $3MM transferred from his 2024 salary to 2023. The Pats guaranteed him $14MM as part of their two-year, $22.5MM revision. He has seen the market change a bit since his four-year, $54MM free agency accord was finalized. That 2021 offseason was not an optimal time to hit the market, as the salary cap plummeted due to COVID-19 restricting 2020 attendance. Judon was among the Patriots’ many signings, as Belichick zagged due to the unusual market. The $13.6MM AAV on that 2021 contract would now rank 21st among edge defenders.

The ninth-year vet’s options are, of course, limited and withholding services represents about the only leverage he holds. The Pats, who saw Judon rip off 12.5- and 15.5-sack seasons in 2021 and 2022, do not have a comparable edge solution without Judon. The team re-signed Josh Uche after a 2023 regression and have 2023 second-rounder Keion White (one rookie-year sack) in the fold. But Barmore (8.5 sacks last season) is the only Patriot who topped five sacks in 2023. And he is currently dealing with a blood clot issue.

Judon has done well for himself as a Division II product chosen in the 2016 fifth round. The Ravens franchise-tagged him in 2020, and he has earned plenty from the Patriots. But for the Grand Valley State alum’s production level — particularly his New England work — he is underpaid. After the Patriots paid numerous starters, how they resolve the Judon matter is suddenly a pressing issue.