Tom E. Curran joins Arbella Early Edition and explains why he believes Matthew Judon and the Patriots will find a way to settle his contract situation
Matthew Judon has caused quite a bit of commotion at New England Patriots training camp as he seeks a new contract. But order was at least somewhat restored Thursday.
The Patriots' star pass-rusher returned to practice Thursday after being noticeably absent from Tuesday's session and having an animated on-field conversation with head coach Jerod Mayo during Monday's practice. Mayo told reporters Thursday he had a "great meeting" with Judon and is focused on "pushing forward" despite Judon's lack of a new deal.
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So, where do Judon and the Patriots go from here? Judon clearly is still at financial odds with the team and wants more than the $6.5 million in base salary he's set to make on the final year of his current contract, but New England hasn't made him a new offer since the start of camp.
"To be clear, there was no new contract offer (to Judon) this week, near as I can gather from talking to folks around the situation," Patriots Insider Tom E. Curran said Wednesday night on Arbella Early Edition, as seen in the video player above.
Our Phil Perry reports there's a willingness on both sides to agree on a new contract, however, and Curran thinks it's only a matter of time before a deal gets done.
"I still believe that there's going to be some kind of a pathway, an avenue to get this done," Curran said. "This is a July, August tempest in a teapot that will inevitably get done. I really believe that. I just don't think they're at that juncture either, where it's a 'my way or the highway' organization at this point."
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While Judon's actions at Tuesday's practice may have been cause for concern, the 31-year-old did tell reporters Monday he has no interest in being traded and enjoys playing for New England, his NFL home since the start of the 2021 season. Judon also went through a similar situation last summer, limiting his participation during 2023 training camp before the team readjusted his contract on Aug. 4.
Curran believes history could repeat itself this summer, with the events of the past week becoming water under the bridge before the regular season begins.
"Judon has spoken glowingly of Mayo, spoken glowingly of this area," Curran added. "He talked about, 'I don't want to be traded. I've got a family here. I've sunk my roots here. I like it here.'
"I think that they'll find common ground and this will be like so many other training camp dust-ups."
