The New England Patriots clearly want their star edge-rusher back in practice. Defensive end Matthew Judon had been staging a hold-in since the beginning of training camp.
Judon was reportedly refusing to be a full participant in practice over an ongoing contract dispute with the Patriots. Instead, Judon would primarily spend his time on conditioning work while his teammates conducted drills.
On Friday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Patriots rewarded the four-time Pro Bowler with the contract improvement he was waiting for. Judon is now slated to receive $14 million in guaranteed money, with incentives that could push the figure to $18 million. His previous deal had just $2 million guaranteed and a maximum earning potential of $12.5 million. No new years were included in the adjustment.
Judon is entering the third season of his four-year, $56 million contract signed with the Patriots in 2021. His previous AAV of $13.6 million ranked him 20th among edge-rushers in the league. Hitting all the incentives would allow Judon to become a top-10 earner at his position.
The Patriots have benefitted from two stellar seasons from Judon since his arrival from the Baltimore Ravens two years ago. Judon has been named a Pro Bowler in both years after averaging 14.0 sacks in each campaign. His 15.5 sacks in 2022 tied him for fourth most in the NFL.
More must-reads: