Patriots Leader Believes Matthew Judon Trade Impacted Locker Room

FOXBORO, Mass. -- The New England Patriots showed up to work Thursday and a big piece of the team's locker room was missing.

The man with the red sleeves was no longer around after the Patriots decided Wednesday night to trade a disgruntled Matthew Judon to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick.

Judon had a big personality and presence on the Patriots during his three seasons with the team making him a well-liked and respected teammate. It wasn't easy for New England to see the four-time Pro Bowler get traded and Patriots leader Deatrich Wise Jr. believed it shook up the locker room.

"When you lose players, when guys get released or traded, it always affects us," Wise said following New England's 14-13 preseason loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium. "Because we go through training camps, seasons, we go through a lot of, I would say, emotional-bonding type of activities. And to lose a guy like that who became a brother, it's always going to affect the locker room in different ways."

Judon became a sack master during his time with the Patriots, tallying 32 of them over 38 career games with the club. He registered nearly half of that total during a sensational 2022 season when he recorded a career-high 15.5 sacks.

Judon's top-tier performance had teammates trying to follow his lead, but they'll have to look elsewhere now that he's gone.

"Judon definitely left his mark on this building," Wise said. "He did a fantastic job of educating a lot of guys on how he saw the game. Took a lot of guys under his wing. As you saw the improvement on our defensive line and pass rush over the last four years he was here. He brought a high level of education and preparation to the game, and that's one thing we're definitely going to miss (with) him not being here."

Patriots first-year head coach Jerod Mayo believes it's going to take a collective effort to fill the void left by Judon's absence. It played out that way against the Eagles.

Wise, Joshua Uche, Oshane Ximines and Keion White all got a sack with Philadelphia playing their reserves for the contest.

They all will be expected to contribute more with Judon set to make plays for the Falcons, and while Uche sees a group effort coming through like Mayo, he put it on his shoulders to become New England's next go-to pass rusher.

"Like I said, the next man up mentality," Uche said. "Whatever coach is asking me to do, I'm always going to try to do the best I can to help the team win. I've got to ramp it up. I've got to up my game and do everything I can to help the team win."