The New England Patriots and Matthew Judon disagreed on how much he should be paid on his next contract. But that's only part of the reason why the team traded him to the Atlanta Falcons last week.
During Thursday's episode of Boston Sports Tonight, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reported that Judon had been rubbing some people in the Patriots organization the wrong way, and that his temperament behind closed doors made them more inclined to trade him as Judon's contract dispute continued.
"Judon was not as well-liked by the coaches and front office people as you might have thought," Breer told co-hosts Michael Felger and Michael Holley, as seen in the video player above. "That was really part of it at the end, was that they were just sick of him.
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"They felt like there was the public-facing Judon, and then there was Judon behind the scenes. The Judon behind the scenes had sort of become a little bit of an operator, and his act had worn thin with people inside the building. And it’s something that was an issue in Baltimore, too, quite honestly."
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Judon signed with the Patriots in 2021 free agency after five seasons with the Ravens and quickly became a fan favorite. He racked up 28 sacks between the 2021 and 2022 campaigns while earning back-to-back Pro Bowl nods and was very interactive with fans, often playing catch with them before practices and games.
Judon also was very active on social media, trying to recruit star players to New England and sharing his feelings (both positive and negative) about the team's moves. According to Breer, some of that activity didn't sit well with team staffers, and when Judon engaged in a very public hold-in during training camp, it only added to the tension between the two parties.
"It’s not saying he’s a bad guy, but there was some of this sort of cheerleader stuff on social media that a lot of people in the organization would roll their eyes at," Breer said. "And then when he became a problem this summer, there was, ‘All right, what do we do to move him off the roster now? Because we’re trying to build a new program, and we don’t want this hovering over us.’
"So, I think there’s a little bit more to the Judon trade than just the contract situation."
Head coach Jerod Mayo recently called the Judon trade a "win-win," and that appears to be the case here. The Patriots received a decent return for Judon (the Falcons' 2025 third-round pick) while parting with a player who apparently was causing strife behind the scenes. Judon, meanwhile, got a fresh start in Atlanta, where he'll have a chance to compete for a playoff spot in the NFC South.
Check out the YouTube video below for more intel from Breer on Judon.