Will The Patriots Trade Star Pass Rusher Matthew Judon?

New England Patriots edge rusher Matthew Judon has been present at training camp, but he has not actually been practicing as he seeks a new deal.

Judon has one year remaining on his current contract, so the four-time Pro Bowler is seeking some stability.

Well, things may be turning a turn for the worse.

At Patriots practice on Monday, Judon was seen having an animated conversation with head coach Jerod Mayo. He exited the field shortly afterward.

The Patriots should absolutely trade Matthew Judon

It really doesn’t make much sense for the Patriots to hold on to Judon, and it’s actually pretty surprising that the team didn’t try to trade him earlier this offseason.

New England is clearly in rebuilding mode, and Judon turns 32 years old in a couple of weeks. He clearly doesn’t fit the Pats’ timeline anymore.

Why not move him to a contender where Judon will have the chance to compete for a Super Bowl? The Patriots could then acquire some decent draft capital in the process.

Judon may not have a ton of value at the moment given his age, contract status and the fact that he played in just four games last season due to a torn bicep.

However, New England almost surely is not going to re-sign him next offseason, so why not trade him and get something in return for him while it still has the chance?

Of course, the Patriots could be employing another strategy. Maybe they do plan on dealing him but are attempting to wait until the midseason trade deadline to do so?

Teams typically become more desperate during the season and are then more willing to part with sizeable assets to fill roster holes. Plus, perhaps New England wants a healthy Judon to re-establish his value.

But how much more could the Pats extract from another ballclub by waiting a few months? And there is a chance that this method actually backfires. Judon could get injured again, or perhaps rival squads won’t be so willing to trade substantial capital for a half-season rental?

Judon was an elite pass rusher in his first two years with the Patriots, racking up 12.5 and 15.5 sacks, respectively, in 2021 and 2022.

Whether or not he remains the same player in 2024—especially after a major injury—remains to be seen.

The Grand Valley State product spent the first five years of his career with the Baltimore Ravens before arriving in Foxborough.

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