FOXBORO -- Before the Patriots practiced on Sunday, Eliot Wolf met with reporters for the first time since trading pass-rusher Matthew Judon to Atlanta last week, explaining that it was a "difficult" decision for him.
"We have to weigh now, the future, what's best for the team, what's best for the player," Wolf said, "and it was something that we just felt organizationally, and for Matthew, it was probably the best for both parties."
There was competition for Judon's services, which led to New England receiving a third-round pick from the Falcons for the 32-year-old former Pro Bowler. That return "shocked" one general manager, which we reported in the immediate aftermath of the deal, and it was a more valuable return than multiple NFL executives who spoke to NBC Sports Boston were expecting.
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The Patriots had offers from both Chicago and Atlanta that would've sent their third-round picks to New England in exchange for Judon, per sources. It's my understanding that the Patriots and ended up accepting the pick from the Falcons because that was Judon's preferred destination.
Both the Falcons and Bears are projected by Las Vegas sportsbooks to finish as middle-of-the-pack teams in 2024. Atlanta has a widely-projected win total of 9.5, while Chicago is projected to win 8.5, indicating the value difference in the third-round pick between the two teams could be slight.
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Jerod Mayo has noted previously that, despite a public show of apparent frustration from Judon during the team's first padded practice of the summer, the team and Judon maintained a good relationship. Allowing Judon to choose his preferred destination with a couple of different options on the table would seem to indicate as much.
"You guys know how I feel about Judon," Mayo said last week after his team's preseason game with the Eagles. "And obviously he's moving on. I felt like it's a win-win for both parties, and I wish him nothing but the best. I always tell the guys these are long-term relationships and nothing's changed."
Judon played all 17 games in 2021 and 2022, finishing with 28 sacks total through his first two seasons in Foxboro. He then had four sacks in four games last fall before suffering a season-ending biceps injury.
Filling in at the outside linebacker position after the Judon trade, the Patriots have a group that includes Keion White, Anfernee Jennings, Josh Uche and Oshane Ximines. Deatrich Wise is a player who has the ability to rush from both the edge and the interior as well.
"We've gone years without having a premier rusher – Chandler Jones, the Judons of the world – but we were able to manufacture pass rush through our stunts and games and our game-planning," Mayo said last week.
"It's not going to be one person. It's hard to sit here and say one person can replace Matthew Judon, both on the field and off the field. But I think we have a good group ready to go and step into those shoes."