Patriots Rumors: Why Matthew Judon Trade ‘Shocked’ NFL Exec

The Patriots and the Falcons teamed up for a surprise Wednesday evening.

No, New England trading Matthew Judon away wasn't a stunner. Judon and the Patriots had been in a contract standoff for a while, and the sides clearly weren't finding much common ground in talks about a potential new deal. The public dispute seemingly stripped New England of any remaining trade leverage, but that proved not to be the case.

Atlanta gave a third-round pick to the Patriots in exchange for Judon, a 32-year-old coming off a season-ending injury. The return floored one NFL exec who spoke with NBC Sports' Boston Phil Perry after news of the trade broke.

"I talked to a couple executives. One of them used to word 'shocked' to describe the return that the Patriots got," Perry said. "Figured it would have been a later-round pick. I think even the Patriots, if you gave them some truth serum, were surprised that they ended up getting a third-round pick for Matthew Judon. So, the pick was valuable enough that you sort of had to make the deal."

What made the Falcons' move even more surprising was the lack of a new deal for Judon. So, there's a chance Atlanta gave up a premium asset for a player who showcases decreased production and leaves in free agency come March.

It was a head-scratcher by the Falcons, no doubt. But maybe we shouldn't be too surprised given how Atlanta addressed its quarterback situation over the offseason.