Patriots insider shares interesting theory about Matthew Judon trade

The New England Patriots completed the next step of their badly-needed roster reconstruction when they agreed on Wednesday to trade star pass-rusher Matthew Judon to the Atlanta Falcons for a 2025 third-round draft pick amid Judon's desire for a contract extension.

For a mailbag published on Thursday, Patriots insider Chris Mason of MassLive hinted that New England also made the trade to show support for first-year head coach Jerod Mayo.

"Mayo needed to set a precedent," Mason explained. "The way Judon showed him and the front office up on the first day of pads was unacceptable, and caving to his contract demands would have sent a message to his teammates that throwing a fit is an avenue to get what they want...Message sent."

Mason was referring to how Judon had several animated conversations with Mayo, Patriots vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and director of player personnel Matt Groh on the practice field and in front of cameras on July 29. ESPN's Marc Raimondi noted on Wednesday that "Judon had been practicing with the Patriots after a brief absence from the team ," but Mason's update suggests some within the organization hadn't forgotten about how the 32-year-old acted weeks ago.

"An executive earmarked Judon’s value as a fifth-rounder earlier this month to colleague Karen Guregian, so getting a third-round pick is excellent value," Mason pointed out. Mason also mentioned that Patriots fans realistically shouldn't expect the club to compete for much of note before 2026 unless rookie quarterback Drake Maye becomes a revelation before then.

Veteran Jacoby Brissett is expected to enter September as New England's QB1.

As of early Thursday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had New England at +160 betting odds to win over 5.5 games this season. While things often change quickly in the NFL, Wednesday's trade indicates that Patriots owner Robert Kraft understands the reality of the franchise's situation and is all-in regar ding what Mason referred to as "a multi-year rebuild."

In short, New England paying Judon made little sense even before July 29 with Mayo serving as the current face of New England's post-Bill Belichick era.