Matthew Judon’s experienced great success in his tenure with the New England Patriots, but he’s not giving credit to the usual reason many have given.
“I think a lot of people say, ‘You’ve got that chip (on your shoulder).’ But no, it’s nothing like that,” Judon said, per Amazon Prime’s broadcast. “I just love playing football. It’s nothing else. No chip on my shoulder. Nobody did nothing to me, nobody insulted my family. It’s just — a lot of people missed. It wasn’t like I came in and I was that guy right away. It took everything I have to get here. I’m enjoying the success, but I don’t want this to be the peak.
“I can honestly say I enjoy every minute of football. So I come in here with a smile on my face, because when this is over, it’s over.”
A lot of people do miss, especially when you’re talking about the NFL Draft. All 32 teams missed on Judon, as he lasted until the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. From there, he became a consistent contributor for the Baltimore Ravens and eventually signed a monster contract with the New England Patriots.
Things have worked out so far in New England for Judon, who has 25.5 sacks in 28 regular season games with the Patriots. His play has inspired talk of a potential Defensive Player of the Year award in his future and earned him a contract restructure this week.
When asked if he was striving to become the NFL’s DPOY, Judon had an answer Patriots fans will love.
“I’d love that honor,” Judon admitted. “But I’m going to play for my team. At the end of the day, the stats are going to be what the stats is. I just want to win. As long as we’re winning, that’s what I look forward to.”
