Grade the Trade: Patriots decide Matthew Judon's fate in new proposal

With training camp well underway and the preseason just around the corner, it's incredibly unfortunate that the Patriots got into a sticky situation by not figuring out what they want to do with Matthew Judon moving forward.

His contract negotiations, or lack thereof, have been the main headline throughout the last two weeks, heightening even more after animated conversations between the pass rusher and team executives took place on Monday morning.

Judon left the practice field and is yet to return, seemingly confirming the start of an official holdout, something Eliot Wolf could have (and should have) easily avoided. Instead, rumors continue to flood the New England airwaves with the latest updates surrounding the situation, which don't appear to be going too well.

The Patriots need to decide Judon's fate sooner rather than later, as they had the entire offseason to get it sorted, but time is running out. Because not much movement has been happening behind the scenes, the possibility of him being traded has skyrocketed, even if it wouldn't be the best idea for the Patriots' defense.

With that in mind, Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report suggested a trade that would ship Judon off to a team needing a veteran pass rusher while the Patriots get a decent return of draft capital.

If Matthew Judon is done in New England, this trade proposal makes a lot of sense

Although most would believe the best time to have traded Judon has long passed, there are still plenty of teams out there who would love to add a four-time Pro Bowler who had back-to-back seasons of double-digit sacks and looked well on his way to accomplishing that again in 2023 before suffering a season-ending injury.

One of those teams has continuously been the Atlanta Falcons, who Ballentine believes would be a great trade partner for the Patriots. In his proposal, he suggests the Patriots trade Judon to Atlanta in exchange for a 2025 fourth-round pick.

Ballentine describes the Falcons' developing defense under new head coach Raheem Morris as a big reason for the NFC South team to pursue such a trade, and adding a veteran pass rusher like Judon would instantly make them that much better.

The reason for the Patriots to complete the trade is simple: according to Ballentine, they're not going to be a contender, and unless they plan to extend his contract, it doesn't make sense to hold onto him through the end of his initial contract.

"The 31-year-old Judon sat out most of last season with a torn bicep, but he had 15.5 sacks in 2022.

With just one more year left on his contract, the Patriots are too far away from contending to hold on to him without assurances that they will be able to extend his contract. Meanwhile, the Falcons already have a good bit riding on the season."

While this trade would be a great add for New England, especially since they want to build their team through the draft, it's still not a great idea to get rid of perhaps the best defensive player on the team instead of working out an extension as they have with nearly half of his teammates.

It would be ideal to get that situated instead, but if that's not in the cards, getting a fourth-rounder in exchange for Judon might be a deal too good to pass up. Most other proposals have suggested a fifth round pick, so if the Patriots could get a higher pick, then that's worthy of consideration.

Grade: B

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