Patriots' Matthew Judon Shares True Thoughts on Trade Rumors

The New England Patriots edge rusher sounded off on Wednesday about the recent NFL gossip.

Jun 12, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon (9) runs onto the practice field at minicamp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

It's been a whirlwind of chatter when discussing the future of edge rusher Matthew Judon and the New England Patriots.

Both sides have recently been invested in some notable contract talks in hopes of keeping their Pro Bowl talent in Foxboro for the foreseeable future, though as the landscape currently stands, an agreement seems a bit out of reach. Neither party has seemed to have their demands met in their lengthy discussions, even leading to some recent trade rumors coming to light involving Judon's name.

However, as Judon sees it, requesting a trade from New England is far from the top of his list of priorities. The Patriots edge rusher spoke to the media on Wednesday after the team's debut training camp, expressing his thoughts on a trade coming to form, and his message was clearly against the idea:

"Do I want to be traded? Hell nah. I feel like when you're traded, you don't have say so in it. They just come tell you like, 'Aye bruh, you're leaving.' I don't think anybody wants to be traded, honestly... If I'm traded, that's not up to me... That's one thing that I don't get to control."

- Matthew Judon on viral trade rumors

The Patriots' pass rusher made headlines over the week when he retweeted a suspect post on his Twitter/X account proposing a hypothetical trade involving himself with the San Francisco 49ers. Despite that, the course remains steady for Judon in his aspirations to stay in Foxboro long-term.

Judon later addressed the viral tweet, along with some other trade possibilities during his Wednesday presser, noting that while he sees all of the same rumors and hearsay that fans do, he's staying focused on the task of doing his job on the field:

"I've seen trades to Atlanta, Detroit, all of that stuff. The stuff you all see, I see as well, but I just don't buy into it. Once they tell me I'm gone, that's when I'm gone... [Until then] I'm going to still have respect and come out here and do my job, because it's not up to me."

- Matthew Judon

Judon is coming off a limited season which was cut short due to a bicep injury, but the last time he was fully healthy, he had a strong year that resulted in a career-high 15.5 sacks, 14 TFLs, 60 combined tackles, and even placed within the top 10 of 2022's DPOY voting. His impact on New England's defensive unit is critical, and a force that's hard to replicate.

A new contract Judon's way could cost some significant cap space, but it's the price to pay for a top-end talent as a pass rusher and key component to New England's routinely dominant front seven. The Patriots' defense remains the center of optimism for this squad in 2024, so doing all that's possible to maintain this core together is a must to see success in the win column for this season and beyond.

While he has yet to have a new contract hammered out in New England, the spirits still seem to be high for a fresh deal to develop in due time between Judon and the Patriots.

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