Bear Digest

What's Behind Matthew Judon's Decision Not to Come to Chicago?

Analysis: The Bears might be all the rage but players have their own thing to be concerned with and Matthew Judon chose Atlanta instead, according to a report.

Gene Chamberlain

Matthew Judon celebrates a safety on a sack against the New York Jets.
Matthew Judon celebrates a safety on a sack against the New York Jets. / Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
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Even with Caleb Williams, Hard Knocks and the sudden momentum behind the Chicago Bears, not everyone is on board.

Some would rather cast their lot with the guy who was fired in Chicago.

Ryan Pace works for GM Terry Fontenot with the Falcons and according to SI's Albert Breer, former Patriots edge rusher Matthew Judon had his choice of either coming to the Bears in a trade or to the Falcons but he chose Atlanta. So New England traded him there.

Not a fan of deep dish is he, apparently.

Breer reported this choice was offered to Judon, the 32-year-old edge rusher who went to the Falcons for a conditional third-round draft pick. It could be second round if he plays a certain percentage of games and gets to 10 sacks.

Ryan Poles knows he needs another edge rusher. This much is certain considering he was willing to give up a third-round pick. Former Chiefs executive Scott Pioli reported the Bears' interest in Judon last week for NFL Network.

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Instead, Judon will be heading south and everyone with the Bears must ponder why this could happen when their organization is supposed to be all the rage.

Maybe the Atlanta 3-4 will be a better fit for him, because he broke in with one in Baltimore. But he was far more productive in New England with a 4-3.

There could be many reasons. Judon is from Pontiac, Mich. and maybe he's simply fed up with being in cold weather. The Bears would have been more of the same as far as that goes. Now he can practice indoors and Georgia is fairly warm into December.

Perhaps he sees the Falcons as more playoff ready because they have Kirk Cousins at quarterback now. They definitely don't have a defense as strong as the Bears have and the team lost 37-17 to the Bears and Justin Fields last year.

Judon also could have seen Atlanta as a place he could have had a better chance for a contract extension. The Bears have plenty of money but for a 32-year-old pass rusher?

The Falcons badly need pass rush from someone. Lorenzo Carter has averaged 3.6 sacks with a career high of five and Arnold Ebiketie is a player on the rise with 8 1/2 sacks in two seasons, but Judon has a chance to be their version of Montez Sweat. In Chicago, he'd have been the secondary rusher to Sweat this year and 32 years old at that.

Would the Bears have even wanted to give him an extension? If they sought him in a trade they might, but from his standpoint Atlanta makes more sense.

The Bears still need that counterpunch and from Poles' actions it's obvious he knows it. No one has punched the Yannick Ngakoue button yet.

Their options are dwindling at this point and while Austin Booker looks promising a veteran in a so critical a role would have been preferable for this season.

Something needs to give in terms of a signing or a trade for the Bears in coming days.

Twitter: BearsOnSI

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.