One of the NFL's worst teams got even worse Wednesday night by reportedly trading its best defensive player. But there's a case to be made that it was smart business.
The Patriots reportedly are trading star pass-rusher Matthew Judon to the Atlanta Falcons in return for a 2025 third-round pick, a move that signals a full-on rebuild for New England after its 4-13 campaign in 2023. Judon was seeking a new contract while making just $6.5 million in base salary on the final year of his current deal, and while the Patriots have plenty of cap space, they chose adding draft capital over paying up for the 32-year-old veteran.
Patriots Insider Phil Perry believes New England made a wise choice.
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"This is a good enough pick to make this deal," Perry said Wednesday on Boston Sports Tonight. "This is about the future. You are the Patriots in 2024, you have stunk for several years now. You're in all likelihood going to continue to stink, and you're embracing that to a degree by making this move. But this is what makes sense for them in the long term given where they are."
While Patriots had been listening to Judon trade offers in recent days, the expectation was he'd likely fetch a fourth-round pick or worse. According to Perry, at least one NFL executive was surprised New England was able to land a third-rounder.
"I talked to a couple executives just tonight, about an hour or so ago, one of them used the word 'shocked' to describe the return that the Patriots got. (They) figured it would be a later-round pick," Perry said Wednesday night.
"I think even the Patriots, if you gave them some truth serum, were surprised that they ended up getting a third-round pick for Matthew Judon. So, the pick was valuable enough that you sort of had to make the deal."
Judon was a fan favorite in New England who racked up 32 sacks over 38 games played from 2021 to 2023. Losing the four-time Pro Bowler is a tough blow in the short term and a reminder that the Patriots might be in for a long season. But if they're able to turn that third-rounder into a promising prospect, perhaps the dark days won't last as long.
Check out Phil Perry's column for more intel on the Judon trade, including what another team offered New England for its star pass-rusher.