Matthew Judon doesn’t want to be the ‘villain’ amid contract drama with Patriots
“I love football. I don’t love the business of football."
Matthew Judon has not been a happy camper in Foxborough so far this summer.
The star pass-rusher made it known early in camp that he’s not satisfied with his contract, with just one year left at a below-market rate of $14,675,848. Even though Judon is currently the highest-paid player on New England’s roster, his annual payout ranks 17th among players at his position in terms of average annual value.
“I’ve got to (play), honestly,” Judon said on Wednesday. “I’ve signed the deal, my signature is on it, so I’ve got to play on it. Would I like to? No. Do I think that’s my value? No. But again, that’s not up to me.”
During Monday’s first padded practice, Judon did not participate in any drills — as the Pro-Bowl talent was spotted chatting with coach Jerod Mayo before walking off the practice field. He later returned to the field, spoke with Patriots Director of Player Personnel Matt Groh, and then left again without participating in any on-field activities.
It does appear that a contract dispute — if not a partial hold-out — could be underway for Judon, who is likely due for a hefty raise, even though he will turn 32 next month and is coming off a season-ending bicep injury in 2023.
Even though it appears as though both the Patriots and Judon have reached an impasse when it comes to a new contract, the veteran stressed during a recent appearance on the “Shut Up Marc” podcast that he doesn’t want to be painted in a negative light amid these contentious negotiations.
“I love football. I don’t love the business of football,” Judon said. “Like I said, I don’t want to be the villain. I don’t want to be the bad guy. But it’s like, shoot bro, help me out. We got the most cap in the league right now bro. And then with that, they don’t even get the money. So what the hell are y’all doing with it? … Those guys have a tough decision. It’s hard for them. It’s hard to know who to give the money to … where, how much. There’s a lot of stuff that goes along with that.”
Judon stood as a home-run signing for the Patriots after they added him on a four-year, $56 million contract in March 2021. In 38 games with New England, Judon has recorded 32.0 sacks and 33 tackles for loss.
Even though New England has prioritized re-signing several key cogs this offseason like Mike Onwenu, Christian Barmore, David Andrews, and Kyle Dugger — Judon’s age and recent injury might give the Patriots pause when it comes to opening their wallet once again.
Still, Judon seems focused on remaining in New England, noting on the “Shut Up Marc” podcast that he even submitted his own contract offer to the Patriots this offseason in hopes of getting to the finish line on a new deal.
“I wrote out my own contract and sent it to them. They just didn’t respond. I don’t do most of the talking to them. They let they let me play football,” Judon added. “And I got an agent, but that one thing I did do. … My agent was like, ‘Bro, who wrote this for you?’ I was like, ‘Me.’ I wrote this. He was like, ‘Yeah, bro, when you’re done you can do this for a living.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, no, I don’t wanna.’”
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