Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Edge-rusher Matthew Judon didn’t participate in the New England Patriots’ practice on Monday, ostensibly “holding in” as he seeks a reworked deal.
And that potentially led to an animated exchange between him and New England head coach Jerod Mayo, per multiple reports, before the veteran pass-rusher walked off the field:
NBC Sports Boston @NBCSBoston
Jerod Mayo appears to exchange some words with Matthew Judon who is not participating in practice today. Judon seen exiting the field after their conversation 👀 pic.twitter.com/BJvP64tnpS
Mike Reiss @MikeReiss
Day 5 of Patriots training camp: Matthew Judon holding in? … first full-pads practice and holes open in run game … pre-snap penalties pile up … Jabrill Peppers doesn’t finish practice … Josh Uche leaves after mini-brouhaha with Chuka Okorafor. pic.twitter.com/fXI5zS9NRQ
Tom E. Curran @tomecurran
Patriots training camp Day 5. Pads come on and Matthew Judon has interesting and animated onfield discussions with Mayo, Wolf and Groh … pic.twitter.com/gUJHgXVFuh
Albert Breer @AlbertBreer
This is interesting. A number of veterans with years left on their deals—Matthew Stafford, Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams, Maxx Crosby—have been aggressive in seeking adjustments to their contracts.
Judon has been too, and this is another sign of it. https://t.co/x0TKXw5IMw
Greg A. Bedard @GregABedard
Reading the tea leaves on Judon, Godchaux and Rosenhaus … Judon thinks a deal is coming for Godchaux, leaving Judon the last contract issue and there hasn’t been much traction. And he ain’t happy about it.
Judon, 31, is set to $6.5 million in base salary in the final year of his current deal before becoming eligible to hit free agency after the season. He clearly is seeking some more security in future years and guaranteed money beyond that.
He also held in last season before the Patriots agreed to rework his contract.
“I signed the deal; there’s my signature on it, so I’ve got to play on it,” Judon told reporters last week, seemingly putting to rest any notion of a full-blown holdout. “Would I like to? No. Do I think that’s my value? No. But again, that’s not up to me.”
His vocal displeasure with his current contract, however, didn’t make his “hold-in” approach on Monday all that surprising.
“Honestly, it’s tough going into the last year of the deal,” he told reporters last week. “You kind of look at everybody around the league and in the building and you see them getting deals done and worked out, and it’s tough to not be jealous or envious or something like that. But honestly, I’ve got to focus on myself.”
A number of Patriots have received extensions this offseason, including Rhamondre Stevenson, David Andrews and Christian Barmore. Kendrick Bourne, Anfernee Jennings and Josh Uche were also re-signed.
One issue for Judon is that he’s coming off a season that saw him miss 13 games with torn biceps. That, combined with his age, may make the Patriots less inclined to guarantee him major money in the years to come.
He’s been excellent for New England when healthy, posting 12.5 sacks in 2021 and 15.5 in 2022. The Patriots may want to see him return to that form before committing big bucks, but Judon doesn’t seem inclined to wait.
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