Grade The Proposed Trade: Patriots ship star defender to rebuilding NFC South team

Now that the road to training camp has begun, there are a lot of hypothetical trades being discussed ahead of the start of the 2024 season.

The Patriots are one of the most popular teams involved in those conversations, mainly due to the amount of cap space they still have to use and the roster holes needing to be addressed.

Most of the proposed trades involve the offense, especially the receiving corps, which wouldn't be a bad move for the new regime to pull off. However, a new article by Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report has the Patriots trading away their best player on the team, not just on the defense.

Given the roster's state and the expected lackluster season ahead, it's not surprising to see any proposed trade involve a player of Matthew Judon's caliber. He is one of their only players who would interest other teams and could get them a solid return in a trade, but it would be a questionable move at best for New England, whose plan is to maintain a dominant defense for years to come.

Grade The Proposed Trade: Patriots ship star defender to rebuilding NFC South team

In Davenport's article, which proposes eight shocking trades that would "impact playoff races in 2024," he suggests the Patriots trade Judon to the similarly rebuilding Atlanta Falcons for two draft picks in return.

On paper, it might not sound too bad, but there are a lot of reasons why it is.

If Jerod Mayo is going to be willing to get rid of the single most productive defensive player on the roster over the last three years, it would have to be an undeniable offer he would be an absolute fool to refuse.

Considering how impactful he has been for the Patriots' defense, it doesn't seem like much would make moving on from Judon would make sense. But Davenport believes the Falcons are in a position to get a deal done because their defense needs major upgrading, and they have the means to tempt New England to make a deal.

"But defensively, the Falcons have major issues on the edge. Atlanta's leading returning player at that position in sacks is youngster Arnold Ebiketie—with six. The Falcons need better pass-rushers—period.

The New England Patriots won't compete for anything but draft position in 2024. Despite entering the last year of his contract on maybe the worst team in the league, veteran edge-rusher Matthew Judon told reporters that he isn't interested in doing anything this year but his job."

Some of his points make sense, sure. But since when are the Falcons projected to make a big splash in 2024? Kirk Cousins is a better quarterback than who they've had, but they're still a questionable team that's not one defender away from being a serious contender.

Davenport then credits Judon's accolades since signing with the Patriots as the reason for the Falcons to pursue the trade, yet he fails to mention that would be exactly why it would be a catastrophic mistake for New England to ship him off in the first place.

"Judon is 31 and coming off a significant injury. But from 2019 to 2022, Judon made four straight Pro Bowls with the Patriots and Baltimore Ravens. In 2021 and 2022, he racked up 28 sacks.

If the Falcons could land that caliber of player at a position of need, it could swing the balance of power in the NFC South."

Based on what the Patriots would receive in this trade, it would be worth it simply because it would likely be the best return they could get. Adding more picks in the coming drafts would boost their chances of selecting more young, quality players to add to their roster, which is clearly the plan from Mayo and Eliot Wolf.

However, we saw what happened once Judon left the 2023 season with an injury, and the pass rush was almost nonexistent. Although they hope it will be better this upcoming season, there's no certainty that it will come to fruition.

So why risk such a significant move, even more so if they really are in talks to extend Judon beyond the 2024 season?

Grade: C-

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