Matthew Judon Trade Value: NFL Exec Predicts What Patriots Could Acquire

New England Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf has a monumental decision on his hands.

The Patriots and star edge Matthew Judon currently are in a contract standoff, which boiled over on the practice field Monday with a heated exchange between Judon and first-year head coach Jerod Mayo.

Judon reportedly didn’t show up to the facility Tuesday and attacked the Patriots on social media Wednesday following a report that the franchise had extended him a contract offer.

The turmoil surrounding Judon, who is in the final season of his four-year deal, might force Wolf to explore the trade market if the two sides can’t reconcile.

But what could the Patriots get in return for Judon? One NFL team executive predicted he wouldn’t land New England much.

“It depends if a team is desperate at the end of camp for a pass rusher because of injuries too,” the executive told MassLive’s Karen Guregian. “My guess would be a fifth round value or some sort of mid-round swap.”

Many teams likely have the same concerns the Patriots do when it comes to Judon. Judon is entering his ninth NFL season on the wrong side of 30 — he turns 32 in the middle of August — and is coming off a torn biceps, which limited him to just four games in 2023.

Judon certainly has been productive during his time with the Patriots. He registered 12.5 sacks in 2021 and then accumulated a career-high 15.5 sacks in 2022. Despite the strong production, Judon has had a tendency of fading late in the season.

He’s still one of the top pass rushers in the NFL and it wouldn’t be a surprise if a team like the Detroit Lions, who saw defensive lineman John Cominsky go down with a significant injury Tuesday, call the Patriots about Judon.

Whether the Patriots are willing to trade Judon obviously remains to be seen. He might have pushed New England to this point, though, and it might be the only way this contract saga ends.