Matthew Judon has ‘animated talks’ with Patriots over new contract after claiming he didn’t want to be ‘the bad guy’

THE 2024 NFL season is fast approaching, but it seems all is not happy in the New England Patriots camp.

Patriots outside linebacker Matthew Judon dominated the team’s first full-pads practice of training camp on Monday, and not in a good way.

Getty

Getty

Judon has previously said he doesn’t feel his contract properly represents his value to the team and was seeking an upgrade.

He was watching defenders go through their drills during Monday’s practice when new head coach Jerod Mayo approached him.

We’re all guessing exactly what was said between the pair, but you didn’t need to be an authority on body language to gather it wasn’t the coziest of chats.

After speaking for a short period of time, Judon got up and said something to Mayo in pretty forthright fashion, before walking off the field.

A while later, Judon was spotted again, this time having a passionate exchange with director of player personnel Matt Groh and executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf.

The player has made it very clear with his actions as well as his words that he’s a frustrated figure right now.

The apparent tension came soon after his strong words in a preview clip of an upcoming appearance on the “Shut Up Marc” podcast.

“I love football. I don’t love the business of football. I don’t want to be the villain,” Judon said.

“I don’t want to be the bad guy. But it’s like ‘Shoot, help me out’. We got the most cap [space] in the league right now.”

Speaking to reporters last week, Judon said he would play under his current contract if he had to, but it wasn’t a prospect that pleased him.

“I mean, if I got to, honestly. That’s again, like I signed a deal. My signature is on it. So I got to play on it,” he said.

“Would I like to? No. Do I think that’s my value? No. But again that’s not up to me.

“Honestly, it’s tough going into the last year of the deal. You kind of look at everybody around the league and in the building, and you see them getting deals done and worked out, and it’s tough to not be envious or jealous and stuff like that.

“But I have to focus on myself. I’m happy for those guys. As much as everybody wants to see me stay around here for a long time, it’s really not up to me.

“You have to ask those guys who are making those decisions.”

NFL important dates

August 1 - Hall of Fame Game - Houston Texans vs Chicago Bears

August 8 – Pre-season begins

August 27 – Deadline for 53-man rosters

September 1 – Final day of pre-season

September 5 – Season opener – Baltimore Ravens vs Kansas City Chiefs

November 5 – Trade deadline

January 5 – Week 18 of regular-season

January 11 – Playoffs begin

February 9 – Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, Louisiana

Mayo would be forgiven for wanting the weeks leading up to the new season to be free of drama.

He has enough of a job anyway following in the footsteps of the legendary Bill Belichick .

Belichick left the Patriots after nearly a quarter of a century as head coach earlier this year.

He led the Patriots to six Super Bowl triumphs, the last of them in 2019.

But he found life much harder in his final years, especially after the departure of quarterback great Tom Brady.