Why Patriots Would Trade Judon to Falcons Instead of Bears

The Patriots decided 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 signing the veteran New England player.

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

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.

“An addition to last week’s Patriots/Falcons trade: New England, thinking the Bears and Falcons were in a similar category, and with offers from both, gave OLB Matthew Judon the choice of being traded to Atlanta or Chicago,” Breer posted on X Sunday. “Judon, obviously, chose Atlanta.”

If Chicago and Atlanta both offered a 2025 third-round pick for Judon, one could argue that the Bears’ third-round selection likely offered higher value than the Falcons’ — even if Chicago makes 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 when it came to selecting its next team, with an Atlanta defense that also signed former All-Pro safety Justin Simmons last week, giving him a better chance to compete in 2024.

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

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

“Yeah, listen, we’re always trying to get better,” Mayo told reporters when asked if it was hard to hear the Patriots aren’t a desirable destination. “I think Aiyuk is still in San [Francisco] right now, and he hasn’t been to any other teams either.

“What I can say is that when we start winning games, players will want to come here. When we start establishing the culture, establishing the roster, I think players will be excited to come back,” he said.

With New England giving Judon the power to choose his next team in Wednesday’s trade, the Patriots may be trying to bolster their reputation as a player-friendly organization — though the best way to prove it would likely have been to craft a sizable new contract for Judon.