Can Falcons Pay Up For New Contract Matthew Judon Desires?

Matthew Judon is in the final year of the four-year contract he signed with the New England Patriots before the 2021 season.

He'll finish that contract elsewhere after the Patriots reportedly traded the star defender to the Atlanta Falcons on Wednesday. Judon is due $6.5 million this season and his contract dispute played a factor in his departure from New England.

So, the question becomes: Can Atlanta pay him and get a deal done?

If they do, will it simply be a pay bump for 2024 or will he stay with the Falcons on an extension.

The Falcons certainly aren't afraid to spend, dishing out over $252 million in free agency this offseason. Kirk Cousins took $180 million of that, even with Atlanta drafting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in the first round, and the total spending in free agency marked the second-highest total in the NFL trailing only the Carolina Panthers, per Spotrac.

With that said, Atlanta has just $3.5 million in cap space for the upcoming season and just $8 million available for next year, per Over The Cap. Atlanta also has nine players with a cap hit north of $10 million.

You can make the choice for either direction for Atlanta after acquiring the four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher. This trade could simply be a rental to try to go win an open NFC South for the first time since 2016. At the same time, the Falcons have needed legitimate production in their pass rush for years. It may also be hard to imagine them letting Judon walk in that sense, even after his age-32 season.

In the immediate, Judon may very well play on the current deal. That is unless the Falcons find an avenue to move some money around in the near future to get something done.