Before the New England Patriots traded Matthew Judon to the Atlanta Falcons for a third-round draft pick, they had another deal on the table for the star outside linebacker.
The Chicago Bears also offered the Patriots a third-rounder, so what made Judon land with Atlanta instead? A clip from Tuesday's episode of HBO's Hard Knocks shed some light on the process.
In the clip, Bears general manager Ryan Poles acknowledges the risk of acquiring a 32-year-old edge rusher coming off a season-ending bicep injury. Still, he notes Judon as a player who would give the Bears defense a boost.
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"Just from an analytics standpoint, kind of where he's at, his wins added is 50th among defensive ends. To put it in perspective, (Montez) Sweat is 14th," Poles told Bears president Kevin Warren.
"We believe he would help us get better. Just his style, we think having the bicep rather than like a lower-body injury he still would play with the same intensity and explosion as he did before. It does come with risk though at 32."
Poles adds that the Bears' offer requires Judon to sign a contract extension after the trade. Otherwise, he would revert to New England.
Poles' apprehension of the deal was reasonable. A third-round pick is a hefty price for a player on an expiring contract, even a difference-maker like Judon.
Our Phil Perry recently reported that the Patriots accepted the Falcons' offer because that was Judon's preferred destination. Judon has not yet signed an extension with Atlanta, so he is currently set to play for $6.5 million and become an unrestricted free agent next spring.
The Patriots signed Judon to a four-year, $54.5 million contract in 2021. He notched 12.5 sacks in 17 games that season and a career-high 15.5 sacks in 17 games in 2022. He had four sacks in four games last year before his season-ending bicep injury.