Patriots were ‘just sick of’ Matthew Judon before Falcons trade, NFL insider says

FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots were fed up with linebacker Matthew Judon’s antics, culminating in a trade that sent him to the Atlanta Falcons earlier this month.

“Judon was not as well-liked by the coaches and front office people as you might have thought,” Sports Illustrated NFL insider Alber Breer said Friday during an appearance on NBC Sports Boston. “That was really part of it at the end. They were just sick of him.”

Judon, a four-time Pro Bowl pass rusher, became available because of a contract dispute with the Patriots. He had a base salary of $6.5 million this season and the 32-year-old was seeking a new deal.

“They felt like there was the public-facing Judon and there was Judon behind the scenes,” Breer said. “Judon behind the scenes has sort of become a little bit of an operator and his act had worn thin with people inside the building...It’s something that was an issue in Baltimore too.”

Judon had 28 sacks in his first two seasons with the Patriots. He finished with just four in four games last season, when he was limited by injuries.

Before he was ultimately traded to Atlanta for a third-round draft pick, Judon said, “I’ve got to focus on myself. As much as everyone would like me to stay around here for a long time, it’s not up to me. I would pay myself a lot of money and be cool with it.”

Breer said Judon “became a problem” this summer and the mindset of the Patriots organizations shifted to, “What do we do to move him off the roster now?”

“It’s not saying he’s a bad guy, but there was some of this again, like, this sort of cheerleader stuff on social media that a lot of people in the organization would roll their eyes at,” Breer said. “There was a little bit more to the Judon trade than just the contract situation.”

Judon figures to take a prime pass-rushing role for the Falcons.

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