Surprise team tried trading for Matthew Judon before Patriots' agreement with Falcons

After a long, drawn-out battle between the Patriots and Matthew Judon regarding a contract extension, the team decided to trade the four-time Pro Bowler to the Falcons for a third-round draft pick. The Falcons were among the handful of teams projected to be interested if New England were to take inquiries about a trade, so although a trade was surprising, the team that acquired him was not.

Interestingly, they weren't the only team calling Eliot Wolf this past week.

Despite missing the entire 2023 season due to a torn bicep suffered in Week 4 against the Cowboys, several teams reportedly contacted the Patriots about Judon's availability. Based on statements made by Jerod Mayo over the past week, it appeared as though a trade might not be on the table and Judon would play on his current contract.

It might have been significantly underpaying him for his production, but an extension didn't appear to be coming anytime soon, therefore forcing Judon to play in 2024 for $6.5 million.

But that changed on Wednesday night with a trade to the Falcons, and it could very easily been two other teams if their offers had been better.

The Falcons reportedly won the potential battle to trade for Matthew Judon

According to NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, the Bears were another team expressing serious interest in trading for Judon.

Perhaps even more surprising is the reported interest from the Texans, but Atlanta beat them to the punch for the much-needed addition of an elite pass rusher for the season ahead.

He's a solid addition to the NFC South team, hoping to become a relevant team again and chase a Super Bowl. They added Kirk Cousins in free agency and plenty of young talent, but their defense has been questionable at best. Judon's presence will immediately make their pass rush one of the better groups in the league, something the Patriots might not be able to say about their own roster soon enough.

The hope is that the younger group that played alongside Judon will step up to the plate this season and make up for the production loss caused by his absence. It'll be even more challenging if Christian Barmore cannot return for the upcoming season.

But the silver lining is the Patriots' acquisition of another top 100 pick next year, which could serve them well in a trade-up scenario or even just double-dipping in the third round.

It was a shocking compensation for Judon, as most proposals had the Patriots receiving nothing higher than a fifth-round pick, so the fact they got another high selection is a big win, considering how possibly devastating the loss of Judon could be for the roster.

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