So far through one day of training camp, veteran Matthew Judon appears set to participate in the coming weeks, taking part in the first practice of the team’s 2024 Patriots Training Camp on Wednesday.
Judon was out on the field throughout practice, as was teammate Davon Godchaux, who is also reportedly in a contract standoff with the team. But the surprising part was the fact that Judon not only spoke to reporters, but was also incredibly candid as he discussed his future.
The veteran told reporters that the fact he’s heading into the final year of his deal is difficult. He explained that he understands the financial side of things from the team’s standpoint, but his hope is that they make the decision to include him moving forward beyond 2024.
“Bro, you all be knowing before me,” said Judon when asked about his contract status on Wednesday. “But honestly, it’s tough going into the last year of the deal. You kind of look at everybody around the league and in the building, and you see them getting deals done and worked out. And it’s tough to not be jealous or envious or something like that. But honestly, I got to focus on myself. I’m happy for those guys. As much as everybody wants to see me stay around here for a long time, it’s really not up to me, bro. I’d pay myself a lot of money and just stay around here for a long time, but it’s not up to me, man.”
“So, you got to ask those guys that’s making those decisions. They’re trying to do what’s best for the team, rightfully so and understandably. They’re trying to put us in the right spot to win games and leverage everybody’s contract in the right situation, make sure the salary cap is right, so where if we get in a tough spot later on the year, we can sign players and whatnot. But it’s not up to me. I’d pay myself a lot of money and then just be cool with it.”
Coming off an injury, it’s certainly an important season for Judon. He heads into this year set to make just $6.5 million in base salary, which comes after the Patriots accelerated a portion of his 2024 salary last season before the veteran ultimately appeared in just four games before being sidelined and placed on injured reserve with his injury.
Whether or not the club is making the case that he was well-compensated in a season where he didn’t play is unknown, but even with that in mind, it’s hard to imagine seeing a player who started off 2023 with four sacks, nine quarterback hits, and a safety in the short time we saw him being paid at the level where he is currently for this year.
The question then becomes where the disconnect is, and despite reporters seemingly having more access internally compared to recent years, that’s been a detail that has yet to emerge. Greg Bedard has reported that the extension Christian Barmore received this offseason has played a factor in both Judon and Godchaux’s negotiations, and Judon sort of alluded to that with his “in the building” comment about him being “envious.” So there does appear to be some truth to that.
Judon was also asked about him retweeting a potential trade scenario to San Francisco, which the veteran deflected while saying, “I don’t run my Twitter.” He also said he has no desire to be sent to another team.
“Do I want to be traded? Hell, no,” said Judon. “I feel like when you traded, you don’t got no saying so in it. They just come tell you, ‘Hey, bro, you’re leaving.’ I don’t think nobody want to be traded, honestly.”
The veteran went on to say that he loves his teammates and what he called an “addictive locker room.” He also joked that he’s “lazy” and doesn’t want to have to move.
“Honestly, I’m lazy, so I don’t want to move again,” he said. “But it’s the locker room, bro. My teammates, [Deatrich] Wise, I hang around him in the offseason just because he’s a good dude. We kept a guy like Matthew Slater around. That speaks volumes about the organization. [Dont’a] Hightower came back.”
“It’s not just me that want to stay. It’s a lot of guys that played a lot of good football around here that want to be around this organization and want to be in Foxborough. Even though it’s raining, first day of camp, we want to be out here. We want to be close. You see a guy like Josh Uche that signs back, and he says it’s because of the people in the locker room. You see Anfernee [Jennings] sign back. It’s because of the guys in the locker room and what he can learn and what he improved. Jonathan Jones has been here for going on nine years.”
“It’s a lot of guys that get in here and get in the locker room, and they get addicted to it. It’s an addictive locker room. It’s an addictive culture in there, and that’s what I want to be around. We communicate football on the defensive end at a very high level, and I love it.”
Whether or not he can agree on a new deal or if the club wants him in its future remains to be seen. Mayo has repeatedly said he wants both Judon and Godchaux to remain in the fold. However, if Judon is saying it’s not his call to make, then it’s up to the Patriots to either try to keep him around, or ultimately move on.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
