ESPN Gives Patriots Grade For Matthew Judon-To-Falcons Trade

The Patriots did not become a better football team by trading Matthew Judon, but they made their future brighter.

Just as it really started to seem like Judon was going to play the final year of his contract in New England, the Patriots on Wednesday night reportedly sent the star pass-rusher to the Falcons. The 32-year-old was a depreciated asset after suffering a season-ending injury ahead of his contract year, but New England still managed to pry a 2025 third-round draft pick out of Atlanta.

The work done by Eliot Wolf and company netted the Patriots an "A" grade on the Judon trade from ESPN analytics expert Seth Walder.

"New England seems cognizant of its current status as a rebuilding noncontender with an offense that wouldn't be good enough to contend even if rookie quarterback Drake Maye hits right away," Walder wrote. "For a team like that, it is better to not pay a 32-year-old player coming off an injury and to turn him into a future draft asset instead of simply winding down the clock on Judon's time as a Patriot."

The Falcons, meanwhile, received a "C" from Walder. The analytics guru believes Atlanta was "desperate" to shore up its pass rush and made the move based on Judon's past production. That's a dangerous game, but as evidenced by the Kirk Cousins-Michael Penix Jr. situation, Atlanta isn't afraid to roll the dice.

Simply put, the swap featured teams going in different directions. The Falcons are all-in on the upcoming season, while the Patriots seemingly are cool with punting in 2024 as they move forward in their rebuild.