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.
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