Patriots Appear to Punt on Season With Trade of Pro Bowler

Recognized by fans for his red sleeves and opposing teams for his ability to sack the quarterback, linebacker Matthew Judon was one of the few bright spots on a depleted New England roster that has been leaking talent since Tom Brady took his talents to Tampa Bay in 2020.

Thanks to a trade that was executed on the eve of his 32nd birthday, Judon is also taking his talents elsewhere as the Patriots sent him to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a 2025 third-round draft pick.

On paper, the return of a third-rounder is a good one for New England as Judon made it clear he was not going to play out the final year of his contract for his current $6.5 million base salary and the Patriots were adamant about not offering the prodigious pass-rusher more guaranteed money as he played just four games last season due to a bicep tear.

That being said, the optics of the Patriots, who will take on the Philadelphia Eagles tonight in Week 2 of the preseason, trading away their best player for a future asset when this year's team is already projected to be the NFL's worst.

Dealing Judon, who had 32 sacks in his 38 games with the Patriots and made a pair of Pro Bowls, frees up more cap space for New England, But the Patriots, who already had the NFL's most cap space before the trade with $44,996,372, don't need financial relief. The Patriots need players like Judon and now he's headed to Atlanta.

Though the the Patriots will never admit it, the decision to send him there seems like a pretty clear admission by the higher-ups in New England that the 2024 season is already over and that the Pats are playing for 2025 and beyond.

The same cannot be said for the Falcons, who are clearly in win-now mode after adding pricey quarterback Kirk Cousins during the offseason to lead an offense that was already overflowing with talent.

Solid on offense after adding Cousins and backing him up with first-round rookie QB Michael Penix Jr., the Falcons have unquestionably strengthened their defense with the trade for Judon as he can be the bona fide edge rusher the franchise has been seeking for years.

With the trade of Judon, the Patriots will have to begin their search for an edge rusher anew. Don't expect them to complete it this season. Maybe in 2025.