The New England Patriots appear to be trying to navigate through a tense situation with star pass-rusher Matthew Judon.
Judon is in the final year of his contract with the Patriots, and he has been seeking a new deal this offseason. He hinted at some frustration with the team a few weeks ago, but he has still decided to participate in training camp — sort of.
After taking part in practice last week, Judon was spotted on the field Monday without a uniform on. Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston observed the 31-year-old “looking frustrated” while having a lengthy conversation with head coach Jerod Mayo. Judon then walked off the practice field before returning to have an animated discussion with Patriots executives Eliot Wolf and Matt Groh.
Judon just walked back onto the field and is animatedly talking with Eliot Wolf and Matt Groh. https://t.co/f9l3FMPBWU
— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) July 29, 2024
Judon walked off the field again after talking with Wolf and Groh. NESN’s Zack Cox, who was also at Patriots practice, provided a recap of what he described as a “very strange” sequence of events for Judon.
Judon now heading back toward the locker room. Spent about 10 minutes talking, mostly to Groh, and gesturing animatedly.
To recap:
-Watched warmups in sweats
-Long convo with Mayo
-Left the field a few mins later
-Returned, walked straight to Groh/Wolf
-Aforementioned convo… https://t.co/FrWJHtuuZG— Zack Cox (@zm_cox) July 29, 2024
Judon was limited to four games last season after he suffered a torn biceps muscle early in the year. He had four sacks in those four contests. Judon was arguably New England’s best defensive player in 2021 and 2022, totaling 28 sacks across the two seasons and appearing in all 17 games each year.
With a base salary of $6.5 million this season and incentives worth $1 million, Judon is drastically underpaid relative to the market. He was unhappy with his contract situation a year ago, so it would not be a surprise if his frustration reached a boiling point this summer.
