The Bears Matched Atlanta's Trade Offer To New England For Matthew Judon, So The Patriots Let Judon Pick Where He Wanted To Go, And He Chose The Falcons
USA Today - The Atlanta Falcons addressed one of the biggest needs on their team last week when they traded a 2025 third-round pick to the New England Patriots for edge rusher Matt Judon.
Calling Judon an just an edge rusher, or outside linebacker, doesn't do him justice. The 6'3 and 275-pounder can put his hand in the rubber pellets and play defensive end in a four-man front as well.
The Falcons wanted Judon to amp their pass rush that showed significant improvement in 2023. However, even doubling their sack total year-over-year from 21 to 42 still left the Falcons tied for 21st in the league.
The Falcons acquired him for a third-round pick in next year's NFL Draft, but it wasn't the only offer the Patriots received according to Albert Breer of SI.com.
"One addendum to the Patriots/Falcons trade of last week: New England, believing the Bears and Falcons were in a similar category, and with third-round offers from both, gave OLB Matthew Judon his choice of being dealt to Atlanta or Chicago," wrote Breer on X. "Judon, obviously, picked Atlanta."
Interesting that the Patriots didn't see a huge-value difference between the Bears and Falcons who both want to end long-playoff droughts in 2024. Even more interesting that Judon decided the Falcons were a better option for him.
When this news broke last week, a lot of Bears fans were upset, thinking Poles and the Bears didn't step up and meet what the Falcons offered for Judon, one of the best edge rushers in the league.
The Bears desperately need a pass rusher, and fans had been banking on them landing either Hassan Reddick or Judon to fill that need.
Now, with Big Al Breer dropping this news late last night, the question shifts to why would Judon go with Atlanta over Chicago?
That Falcons team last season flew under the radar most of the season, won some dogfights, and had a defense that was stout despite a lack of playmakers.
Enter Judon.
Losing Judon was such a blow to a team, and fanbase, in shocking need for big names, that even Jerry couldn't spin it. And keep in mind, Jerry found a way to spin Brady signing with Tampa Bay as a positive for the Patriots. So let that one sink in.
There is now not one single player on this Patriots team worth spending money to see on the league's THIRD-HIGHEST ticket prices.
A team with almost as few Pro Bowlers as New England, Atlanta, now pairs their DB Simmons with Judon, and the defense sounds even better.
Since 2021 Judon has 32 sacks in 38 games. What's even more impressive, is that Judon did this on teams where he was literally the only player opposing teams had to game plan for.
And I don't care what anybody thinks, a third round pick, which will be mid or late 3rd given these two teams outlook for 2024, is a fucking steal for a player like Judon. I don't care that he's turning 32, or coming off a biceps injury. For a team like the Bears, who, as it stands right now, will once again have a non-existent pass rush. It won't matter if the offense is putting up 30 points a game if the defense is giving up 40.
I think the Bears have the higher upside and brighter outlook, but for Judon, a guy who is looking to get p-a-i-d after this season, playing in the NFC South as opposed to the NFC North (a toss up with the AFC North for best division in football), in a dome vs. outside on a lake, seems like a no-brainer for his agent to convince him on.
Too bad for the Bears.