NFL Rumors: These Teams Pursued Matthew Judon Before Trade To Falcons

The New England Patriots didn't want Matthew Judon anymore. But plenty of other teams did.

The Atlanta Falcons ended up winning out by reportedly sending a 2025 third-round pick to the Patriots on Wednesday night in exchange for the star edge rusher.

According to ESPN's NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, there were a couple of other teams interested in trading for Judon, including one that strongly pursued the four-time Pro Bowler before he was sent to the Falcons.

"While the Bears were heavily involved in Matt Judon trade talks, the Texans also showed some interest, I'm told," Fowler wrote on the X platform. "The Patriots had a healthy market for him, ultimately leading to a Falcons deal."

The Bears and Texans were aggressive this offseason with Chicago building around No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams and Houston looking to continue their upward trajectory after a surprising 10-7 record in 2023. Both teams already made strong splashes in free agency and on the trade market, including the Texans trading for former Buffalo Bills standout wide receiver Stefon Diggs in early April.

Even with Judon coming off a torn biceps last season -- the major injury limited him to just four games -- and turning 32 on Thursday, it's clear teams around the league still feel he can bring a lot to a defense.

Judon, who had a public contract dispute with the Patriots during training camp ultimately lead to his departure, accumulated 32 sacks in 38 careers games with the Patriots, including notching a career-high 15.5 sacks during the 2022 campaign.

The Falcons will hope to get similar production out of Judon for the upcoming season while the Bears and Texans might look back and see Judon as the missing piece to their respective team's defensive units.