Patriots LB Matthew Judon Contract ‘Worth Watching?’
Though he has not seen on-field action since last October, New England Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon is eager to get back on the field … and thus, get back to business.
With training camp set to kick off in just over three weeks, Judon intends to be an active, full participant — a fact which holds significance for a number of reasons.
(AP Photo/Stew Milne)
Judon is looking to use this time to complete his recovery from a season-ending biceps injury, increasing his presence as a mentor to his teammates and to help facilitate negotiations on a potential contract extension.
In response to the latter, The Athletic recently conducted an evaluation of the contract situations are most compelling heading into 2024 for all 32 NFL teams.
For the Pats, Judon’s contract is most deserving of an extra sharp eye in the coming days.
“Judon has felt underpaid as an arguably top-10 pass rusher for over a year,” wrote reporter Chad Graff. “Last year, he had a hold-in of sorts during training camp, sitting out drills until the team moved money around to guarantee more of his contract. (That was prescient after he suffered a season-ending injury in Week 4).”
Though Judon may have agreed to restructure the original four-year, $54.5 million contract he signed with New England in 2021, he appears to be seeking a new deal which will yield greater compensation than the $6.5 million he is set to earn this season — coincidentally, the final year of his contract.
“Now, it seems Judon wants another tweak to his contract set to expire at the end of this season,” Graf added. “He’ll be 32 this season and is coming off a serious injury. But he’s also easily one of the best players on a rebuilding team, so it’ll be interesting to see how new general manager Eliot Wolf handles the situation.”
To do so, he must perform at a high level. At the time of his Week 4 injury, Judon was arguably New England’s most accomplished defensive player. In just four games, he led the Patriots with nine quarterback hits, and five tackles for loss, four sacks and one safety. While the Patriots defense continued to play well throughout a dismal 4-13 season, their pass rush was considerably less fearsome without Judon in the lineup,
Since his arrival in Foxboro during the 2021 offseason, Judon has routinely proven that he possesses the versatility and adaptability to have earned the spot as the team’s number one player on the edge. His on-field awareness puts him in position to keep runs from reaching the corner on early downs, as well as providing speed and strength when rushing the quarterback. In his first year with the Pats, Judon amassed 60 tackles, one fumble recovery and 12.5 sacks. He eclipsed those totals in 2022 with a career-high 15.5 sacks, two forced fumbles (recovering one), while once again logging 60 total tackles.
However, as impressive as he has been as an individual defender, Judon has also proven to be a significant facilitator for his teammates. In 2021, he was quite effective when reading opposing coverages, particularly the offensive line coverage of defensive lineman Christian Barmore. By positioning himself close to Barmore [thus enabling him to draw the attention of opposing blockers,] Judon was often left one-on-one on the edge to make life uncomfortable for opposing quarterbacks.
In 2022, Judon played the role of decoy for linebacker Joshua Uche, who set a career-high in sacks with 11.5. Together, the pair formed one of the top pass-rushing tandems in the NFL. Uche, who is set to enter unrestricted free agency when the NFL year begins on March 13, clearly missed Judon playing alongside him, having logged only 15 tackles and three sacks in 15 games last season.
Whether or not he enters the season with a new contract, Judon is seemingly ready to reclaim his spot as the Pats most fearsome front-seven defender.
In the process, he remains intently focused on making this season a memorable one in New England.