Matthew Judon Saga Over? Patriots Reportedly Trade Star Defender

It looks like the saga between the New England Patriots and Matthew Judon has come to a close.

And it ended with the Patriots shipping the disgruntled star edge rusher out of New England.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz first reported Wednesday night the Patriots were on the verge of trading Judon to Atlanta Falcons. The deal appears finalized with the ESPN's Adam Schefter reporting the Patriots received a 2025 third-round pick in exchange for Judon.

Judon had a public contract dispute with the Patriots during training camp as the four-time Pro Bowler sought a new deal. But Judon, who is set to be paid $6.5 million in the final season of a four-year deal, never got what he wanted from the Patriots while he watched the franchise hand out contract extensions to several other members of New England's roster.

Judon wasn't shy in voicing his displeasure and even got into an on-field spat with Patriots first-year head coach Jerod Mayo prior to a training camp practice over two weeks ago. Judon, who turns 32 years old on Thursday, even was a hold-in at times during camp, attending practice sessions but not participating in team drills.

While trade rumors swirled around Judon in recent days, he seemed to take focus off his contract and put his attention on the practice field. He hustled around during Tuesday's joint practice with the Eagles and even chased down two players in an attempt to strip the ball.

"We don't really operate in rumors like that," Mayo told reporters when addressing the Judon trade rumors. "You know, the conversations I have with those players are pretty private. What I will say is that Judon's done a great job in the meeting room and done everything that we've asked. He's meeting all the expectations."

The Patriots got top-tier production out of Judon during his three seasons with the franchise. He tallied 12.5 sacks in his first campaign with New England in 2021 and surpassed that amount in 2022 to set a new career-high with 15.5 sacks.

Last season came to a premature end for Judon after he suffered a torn bicep just four games into the campaign. The Patriots obvious were weary to give Judon a new contract with him coming off a major injury and on the wrong side of 30.

And with Judon making things more difficult and the Patriots in the middle of a rebuild, they decided the best course of action was to obtain more draft capital.