Matthew Judon's offseason saga took another turn Monday.
The New England Patriots outside linebacker, who has been vocal in his desire for a new contract, did not participate in the team's first padded practice of training camp Monday on the fields outside Gillette Stadium.
Judon was present for the start of practice, arriving in sweatpants and a sweatshirt and playing catch with a few fans, per our Patriots Insider Phil Perry.
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Judon then sat on a trash can to watch his fellow pass-rushers participate in drills. Head coach Jerod Mayo walked over to Judon and chatted with the four-time Pro Bowler for "a little over a minute" before Judon sat up and walked off the field while "looking frustrated," according to Perry.
Later in the practice, Judon returned to the field and was seen "animatedly" talking to Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and director of player personnel Matt Groh. He left the field after that discussion and did not return.
Monday was the first training camp practice in which Judon didn't participate, and comes after the 31-year-old suggested he wouldn't "hold in" by sitting out practice sessions despite wanting a new deal.
"I signed the deal; there's my signature on it, so I've got to play on it," Judon told reporters last Wednesday after New England's first camp session. "Would I like to? No. Do I think that's my value? No. But again, that's not up to me."
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Judon is set to make just $6.5 million in base salary on the final year of his current contract, which the team adjusted last August after Judon staged a hold-in during 2023 training camp practices. While Judon recently insisted he had no plans to miss practices this summer -- "Last year, that stuff was trash," he said of his 2023 hold-in -- it appears he's changed tactics as he continues to await a new deal.
Judon was one of the Patriots' best defenders in 2021 and 2022, racking up 28 total sacks in that span while earning back-to-back Pro Bowl nods. But he missed 13 games in 2023 after suffering a torn lower biceps in Week 4 and turns 32 next month, so Wolf and Mayo have a decision to make on whether to give their star pass-rusher what he wants or risk Judon causing further disruptions.
Watch Perry and Patriots Insider Tom E. Curran break down Judon's discussions with Mayo, Wolf and Groh below: