Why the Patriots reportedly traded Judon to Falcons over Bears

The Patriots made the call to trade star pass rusher Matthew Judon to the Falcons on Wednesday night, dealing the Pro Bowler to Atlanta in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick.

But the Falcons were far from the only team interested in plucking the veteran off of New England’s roster.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans were also interested in Judon, with the Falcons ultimately winning the sweepstakes.

However, a new report from Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer noted that New England ultimately left it up to Judon to decide his next destination. 

“One addendum to the Patriots/Falcons trade of last week: New England, believing the Bears and Falcons were in a similar category, and with offers from both, gave OLB Matthew Judon his choice of being dealt to Atlanta or Chicago,” Breer posted on X on Sunday. “Judon, obviously, picked Atlanta.”

If Chicago and Atlanta both offered up a 2025 third-round pick for Judon, the case could be made that the Bears’ third-round selection likely offered higher value than the Falcons — even if Chicago makes some significant strides this fall under top draft picks Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze. 

However, New England clearly wanted to put Judon in the driver’s seat to select his next team, with an Atlanta defense that also signed former All-Pro safety Justin Simmons last week giving him a better chance to contend in 2024. 

“All these decisions are difficult,” Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said Sunday of the call to trade Judon. “We have to weigh now, the future, what’s best for the team, what’s best for the player, and it was something that we just felt organizationally, and for Matthew, it was probably the best for both parties.”

Brandon Aiyuk’s reported decision to turn down any long-term contract with the Patriots earlier this month signaled that New England may not be an appealing destination to players these days in the post-Brady era, a fact that even Jerod Mayo acknowledged last weekend. 

“Yeah, look, we’re always trying to get better,” Mayo told reporters when asked if it’s difficult to hear that the Patriots aren’t a desirable destination. “I think Aiyuk is still in San [Francisco] right now, and he didn’t go to some other teams as well.

“What I will say is, when we start to win games, guys will want to come here. When we start to establish the culture, establish the roster, I think guys will be excited to come back,” he said.

With New England empowering Judon in terms of choosing his next team in Wednesday’s trade, perhaps the Patriots are trying to bolster their reputation as a player-friendly organization — even if the best way to prove that point likely would have involved crafting a hefty new deal for Judon.