Patriots Captain Knew Matt Judon Would Be Special After Rookie Season

Lawrence Guy hadn’t even re-signed with the Patriots yet, and he was still excited to see his former teammate, Matt Judon, joining New England.

Judon was a rookie in the one season he spent with Guy on the Baltimore Ravens in 2016. Guy could see greatness in the Grand Valley State product right away.

“I was thrilled when I saw Judon get signed,” Guy said. “I remember him when he came out, went to a (Division-II) school, and his growth over those years was impressive. And I knew he was going to be great. I remember when I left Baltimore, I looked at my coach and said, ‘This kid is going to be special. Just wait until he keeps on growing.’ And what he became as a player after that is amazing.”

Judon has been selected to the last two Pro Bowls. He played 14 games as a rookie and registered 27 tackles, four sacks, four tackles for loss, two pass breakups, a fumble recovery and 10 QB hits. Over the course of his career, he has 236 tackles, 34.5 sacks, 54 tackles for loss, 10 pass breakups, seven forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, 103 QB hits and a safety.

Judon projects to play outside linebacker for New England, though he’s also played defensive end and inside linebacker during his NFL career.

Judon was one of the biggest additions in the Patriots’ free-agent spending splurge, signing a four-year, $54.5 million contract.