Matthew Judon Trade An Important First For Patriots’ Jerod Mayo

The Patriots made a difficult decision Thursday, pulling the trigger on a trade that will send Matthew Judon to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Why?

New England didn't have much of a choice.

Judon had made it abundantly clear that he was unhappy with his contract, using post-practice media availabilities, social media posts and one extremely public conversation with Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo to help get his point across. New England found itself in a tough position, as the desire to keep one of the top pass-rushers in the game was obvious -- but only under his current salary.

The Patriots already did the 32-year-old a favor in 2023, giving him a pay advance that satisfied a previous contract tiff before a biceps injury ended his season after just four weeks. It just wouldn't have made sense for the organization to allocate more money toward the player, especially when his timeline doesn't even come close to matching theirs.

The Patriots are expected to finish in the bottom third of the league standings again, so what sense does it make to give someone a bump in pay when they could still leave via free agency? It's possible they could have extended him, sure, but is there much hope Judon would continue putting together Pro Bowl campaigns into his mid-thirties when the franchise figures to once again be competitive?

No.

Judon will now join a Falcons team that looks like a legitimate contender in the NFC South while having another opportunity to negotiate for a new contract. The Patriots added to their draft capital while establishing a clear timeline moving forward. Mayo, after dealing with the stresses of the entire situation, was able to draw a line in the sand alongside his partner Eliot Wolf.

Win. Win. Win.

Mayo and Judon had an animated conversation back on July 29, with the latter eventually being sent off the field and missing the following practice before returning as if nothing happened. The Patriots, and more specifically Mayo, seemingly handled it the best way they could before moving on -- eventually by way of the trade -- but it wasn't enough for some folks.

"Bill Belichick never would have allowed that to happen." "Mayo's too much of a player's coach, they're not going to respect him." "Who's really running the show down at One Patriot Place?" All of those thoughts might have crossed the minds of fans and media members alike.

Mayo, as a former player, has stated he wants to build relationships with his players. New England, after witnessing the greatest coach in the history of football take the opposite approach, was understandably apprehensive but allowed that viewpoint to fuel disingenuous, silly takes about whether or not the 38-year-old could handle his new post.

He isn't crazy for wanting to approach the game differently. Dan Campbell, DeMeco Ryans, Andy Reid, Mike Tomlin and Mike McDaniel all fall under the "player's coach" umbrella and they're doing just fine.

Does that mean Mayo is going to immediately turn his club into a playoff team? No, but following the way he handled the Judon situation, it should be clear that he's finding a balance in doing what is best for his team. It was always ridiculous to pass judgment on Mayo before he ever coached a real game, especially in a situation as unique as the one with Judon.

If you want to find ways to criticize Mayo, just talk about the offensive line, because that thing is a mess.