Matthew Judon discusses recent incidents, latest on contract situation
Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon met with reporters after practice on Monday to field questions about recent on-field events and the latest on his contract situation.
FOXBORO — Matthew Judon had more to talk about, but less to say.
The New England Patriots star linebacker met with reporters after practice on Monday in Foxboro, fielding questions about recent on-field events and the latest in his contract dispute with the team. Judon made his first press appearance since he caused a bit of a stir one week ago, when he didn’t participate in practice and had animated conversations with Patriots brass right on the field in front of everyone in attendance.
Judon wasn’t at team facilities the following Tuesday, but has since returned to practice as a full participant. That sparked thoughts of the linebacker possibly getting closer to a new deal with the Patriots, but Judon indicated that wasn’t the case.
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“You gotta talk to them,” Judon said, referring to the Pats’ front office. “Like I told y’all before, I would pay myself and we’d never talk about it. It’s not up to me.”
On last Monday’s practice, in which Judon spoke to head coach Jerod Mayo on the practice field, and later top front-office execs Eliot Wolf and Matt Groh, Judon expressed regret that he made such a scene and attempted to explain the sequence of events.
“We had a conversation. I didn’t want to be a distraction to the team, so I went inside,” Judon said. “I wasn’t participating in those drills that day, so I went inside. Then I got a message, so I came back and talked to our GMs, then I went back inside.
“I’m sorry, I’m animated and I talk with my hands. I’m gonna start talking like this [standing still] and not be so animated.”
Judon has not been shy at all about talking openly on his current deal, which is for a base salary of $6.5 million and $1 million in per-game roster bonuses (via Over The Cap). None of his money is guaranteed. Even a diminished version of Judon, at age 32, would be worth more than $7.5 million.
In a departure from players during the Bill Belichick era, Judon is more than willing to speak up on contract specifics. While he acknowledges that he’s not in a position to top the market, he believes what most would agree with, which is that he’s worth more than what the Patriots have him on the books for in 2024.
“We have a market, it’s set by the highest guy, and everybody falls in line until the next person is up to break that contract,” Judon said. “Coming from the season I had, I was injured, mostly, all season, so that’s not really where my market is. But like I said, I don’t think it’s 6.5 [million].”
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Judon has repeatedly said throughout the off-season that he prefers to play the rest of his career with the Patriots, and that he doesn’t want to be traded. He also recently joked that he doesn’t want to move because he’s “lazy.”
But there’s some truth to that joke. Not the laziness part, but about not wanting to play anywhere else. So, if Judon is that serious about staying in New England beyond 2024, then he’ll probably have to eventually concede to what the team is willing to offer him – assuming that’s anything at all.
If Judon simply plays on his current deal, the way he plays, and any possible positive or negative effects on the team, will be something to monitor throughout the season.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
