Things have taken a turn for the worse between Matthew Judon and the Patriots

It wasn't an ideal situation for the Patriots to head into training camp with two significant contract disputes left to be dealt with. That's been the case regarding Davon Godchaux and Matthew Judon, who have both been present for practices but not fully participating.

The focus has remained on Judon's status, as he has been far more vocal about his desires to remain with the team and to get an extension done. And that has remained the top story throughout the second week of camp, but not in the most positive way.

The pass rusher was in attendance for the Patriots' first padded practice on Monday, even if it was in street clothes and watching from the sideline. It seemed to indicate we were seeing the official start of a hold-in from Judon, amplified by animated conversations with Matt Groh, Jerod Mayo, and Eliot Wolf, which led to the player exiting the field early.

Although the conversations' details were not revealed, it was apparent they weren't the most pleasant because of Judon's departure, and this seemed to be validated on Tuesday morning when he wasn't present for practice.

Because it remains a top story, and even more so now after the dramatic scenes from yesterday, Patriots reporters were looking for answers and provided clues into what's going on behind the scenes regarding Judon's contract negotiations.

Matthew Judon appears to begin hold out with latest training camp absence

Mike Giardi of Boston Sports Journal revealed in an article published on Monday that the contract dispute was ongoing mainly due to the two sides remaining, "far, far, far apart on any modifications to the deal."

NBC Sports Boston's Phil Perry double downed on that on Tuesday upon seeing Judon's absence, while also stating that the linebacker was also not present at the facility, at least at the start of practice.

This has become the latest chapter in an ongoing saga that makes little to no sense from either party.

The Patriots made the mistake of not reaching an agreement with Judon prior to the start of training camp, which has now become the leading story and distraction. At the same time, Judon hasn't necessarily done himself any favors in the situation by saying all the right things to the media, but in many ways, he is doing the complete opposite in Foxboro.

While all are guilty in their own way of making the entire debacle worse, the Patriots appear to be more in the wrong. They could have handled this a lot sooner, especially if their plan is to keep Judon on the team. They have the cap space, and Wolf has prioritized getting extensions done all offseason, so what's the holdup with Judon?

And why have they not traded him yet if they don't plan to pay him the money he wants and/or deserves? If it's the inevitable end of Judon's tenure in New England, it seems odd to have this ongoing and play before fans and the media during training camp.

It's making the entire negotiation process far more scrutinized and creating an easy criticism of the new regime for allowing it to happen so openly.

Hopefully, whatever Judon's future with the Patriots (which should be with the team) is, it will be resolved soon because the longer this continues, the worse it will likely become.

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