The New England Patriots clearly want their star edge rusher back at practice.
Defensive end Matthew Judon had been staging a hold-in since the beginning of training camp. Judon was reportedly refusing to be a full participant in practice over an ongoing contract dispute with his team. Instead, Judon would primarily spend his time on conditioning work while his teammates conducted drills.
On Friday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Patriots rewarded the 4-time Pro Bowler with the contract improvement he was waiting for. Judon is now slated to receive $14 million in guaranteed money, with incentives that could push the figure to $18 million. His previous deal had just $2 million guaranteed and a maximum earning potential of $12.5 million. No new years were included in the adjustment.
Sources: Four-time Pro-Bowl DE Matthew Judon and the Patriots reached agreement on a contract adjustment that will take his original $2 million gtd for 2023 to $14 million fully gtd in 2023. The adjustment improved the original 2021 deal and will allow Judon to make up to $18M… pic.twitter.com/osSrFe04P4
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 4, 2023
Judon is entering the third season of his 4-year, $56 million contract signed with the Patriots in 2021. His previous annual average value (AAV) of $13.6 million ranked him 20th amongst edge rushers in the league. Hitting all the incentives would allow Judon to become a top-10 earner at his position.
The Patriots have benefitted from two stellar seasons from Judon since his arrival from the Baltimore Ravens two years ago. Judon has been named a Pro Bowler in both years after averaging 14.0 sacks per season during that span. His 15.5 sacks in 2022 tied him for fourth most in the NFL.
