New England Patriots Former Star Says Why Things Didn't Work Out

The New England Patriots made the difficult decision last week to part with one of their biggest stars and faces of the franchise.

After an offseason full of drama surrounding the team and pass rushing extraordinaire Matthew Judon and his contract situation , New England decided to part ways with Judon via trade following three seasons with the team.

Since bringing him in during the free agency period prior to the 2021 season, Judon quickly became one of the most popular players on the team amongst the fanbase as well as one of the most productive pass rushers in the league. Following stellar 2021 and 2022 seasons, Judon's 2023 campaign was derailed by a season-ending injury, a large factor along with his age in the team deciding not to bring him back. In an interview with NBC Boston's Kayla Burton , Judon opened up on what he felt the main reason was that a deal could not be reached.

"I don't know, I feel like we just never sat down and really came to the table with me," Judon told Burton . "So I think that's the biggest point. It's like, they kind of didn't know where I was at [and] we kind of didn't know where they were at...It was just always through text message or phone calls. We just never sat down and actually talked about it. I think that was the biggest disconnect."

One thing that is for certain in addition to the team missing Judon is that Judon will miss the team. He loved being in New England as much as anyone ever has and was never afraid to show it.

Patriots fans will remember Judon as one of, if not the best post-Brady era player the team has seen and a rare bright spot of what has been a darker age of New England football.