Matt Judon trade grades: Patriots send disgruntled star pass rusher to Falcons for Day 2 pick, per report

After four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Matt Judon held-in at the New England Patriots training camp while in search of a new contract, the team has decided to move on from him, trading him to the Atlanta Falcons, according to CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones.

The Falcons are acquiring Judon in exchange for a third-round pick, according to ESPN. The 32-year-old’s 28.0 sacks from 2021 through 2022 rank as tied for the third-most in the NFL with Steelers All-Pro T.J. Watt, trailing only 49ers All-Pro Nick Bosa (34.0) and Browns 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett (32.0) in that span. Judon suffered a torn lower bicep in Week 4 of the 2023 season that knocked him out for the rest of the year. Judon’s 2022 sack total (15.5) and 2021 sack total (12.5) stand as the third and fourth-most in a single season in Patriots history since sacks began being tracked as an official individual statistic in 1982. 

Judon’s quarterback pressure rate of 15.7% across the last three seasons (since 2021) is the seventh-best in the entire league and is actually ahead of Watt’s 15.1% in this span. Conversely, Atlanta’s team quarterback pressure rate of 27.6% since 2021 is the worst in the entire NFL, so it is filling a significant need with this move. 

Atlanta ranked 25th in the NFL in quarterback pressure rate (32.7%) and tied for 21st in sacks (42.0) in 2023, so he will be a welcome addition for a squad whose most notable front-seven acquisition this offseason was drafting Clemson defensive lineman Ruke Orhorhoro in the second round (35th overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft. The Falcons’ third-round pick from the same class, Washington edge rusher Bralen Trice, was placed on injured reserve after tearing his ACL in the team’s preseason opener. 

The trade for Judon represents a hard-fought victory for Atlanta after striking out twice when trying to trade for pass-rush help within the past year. Per ESPN, the Falcons attempted to trade for Montez Sweat before the Washington Commanders flipped him to the Chicago Bears at the 2023 trade deadline in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick. They also attempted to trade up to select UCLA All-American edge rusher Laiatu Latu in the most recent draft after selecting Washington 2023 Heisman Trophy runner-up quarterback Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall. Latu ended up being the first defensive players selected in April after the Indianapolis Colts chose him with the 15th overall pick.

On the Patriots side of things, new head coach Jerod Mayo and executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf took a page out of New England’s former head coach (and personnel decision maker) Bill Belichick’s playbook by flipping a player looking to get paid into his 30s. 

Atlanta doesn’t have a new contract already set up for Judon as a part of the trade, per ESPN, but its plan is to negotiate one with him before the 2024 season kicks off in September. Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot would be wise to get things done quickly in order to avoid a situation similar to what the New York Jets are currently going through with Pro Bowl edge rusher Haason Reddick. For now, that type of drama playing out feels unlikely with Judon expressing his excitement for this new home by showing he is already figuring out where to live in relation to his new home stadium, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, on his Instagram story.

With all of that in mind, it’s time to hand out trade grades for a transaction where both sides accomplished what they wanted to get done for both 2024 and seemingly beyond. 

Atlanta Falcons: B-

The Falcons are going for it after missing the playoffs in each of the past six seasons. That’s commendable. They signed quarterback Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal with $100 million guaranteed after wandering through quarterback purgatory post-Matt Ryan. Now, they addressed their biggest remaining need (pass rusher) with this move. It also doesn’t seem like a coincidence that the Falcons haven’t reached the postseason since 2016 and that the last time they had a player hit double-digit sacks in a season — Vic Beasley with 15.5 — also occurred in 2016.

Their grade being a B- comes down to a few factors despite addressing a critical need. One, Judon is 32 years old and coming off a season in which he suffered a season-ending injury in Week 4. Two, they don’t have him signed to a new deal already, which worked out horribly in the aforementioned case of Reddick and the Jets. Reddick is demanding a trade from New York despite being acquired this offseason because he doesn’t have a new contract in place. Three, whenever they do sign him to a new deal, they will likely be paying him in two or three years from now for past production. 

New England Patriots: B+

The Patriots are rebuilding, so this trade makes all the sense in the world. Why does a team that went 4-13 with its worst scoring offense (13.9 points per game) since 1992 need to be paying an upper-tier but old pass rusher a bunch of money in the immediate future? New England selected North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye third overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, and it signed Jacoby Brissett to a one-year deal this offseason to act as his mentor. 

This is an organization that needs as much draft capital as possible to give its new regime of Wolf and Mayo what it needs to put together a competitive club over the next few years. The only reason the Patriots grade isn’t higher is because they couldn’t get a first- or second-round pick. Overall, solid work by Wolf and the New England front office to get a Day 2 pick back for an aging, injured player.