Matthew Judon Displeased with Falcons Usage, Not Expecting Atlanta Return

Matthew Judon's Saturday afternoon was full of smiles after competing in a celebrity basketball game with several former teammates in Tempe, Arizona. But the free agent outside linebacker's lone season with the Atlanta Falcons wasn't met with the same emotions.

Judon, who the Falcons acquired in a trade with the New England Patriots on Aug. 14, had a difficult 2024, logging just 5.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss -- his fewest in both categories across a full season since his rookie campaign in 2016.

In an interview with Card Player's Kyle Odegard after the basketball game, Judon cited his usage in defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake's system as a key reason for his statistical regression.

"Hell naw, (it wasn’t bad luck)," Judon said Saturday. "If you go look at the film, I dropped (into coverage) on 60% of the plays. It’s hard to get a pick and a sack on the same play."

Judon played 655 snaps in 2024. According to Pro Football Focus, he rushed the passer on 328 of those snaps, which equates to 50.1%. He played 240 snaps in run defense, which makes up another 36.6%. That leaves 87 snaps -- or 13.3% -- where Judon didn't either rush the passer or defend the run, per PFF.

The 32-year-old expressed displeasure with his perceived frequency of drops at multiple points during the season. He reiterated to Atlanta Falcons on SI on Jan. 2 to watch the tape.

"I think we got to play the game plan," Judon said. "We got to play the play that's called."

Judon played in all 17 games with 15 starts, collecting 41 tackles and nine quarterback hits. Four of his five sacks came in the final seven games. He finished with 25 pressures and 16 hurries, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Falcons will have a new devisor of game plans in 2025, as Atlanta fired Lake and replaced him with veteran defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.

Yet that change was accompanied by the Falcons adding a pair of pass rushers -- Georgia's Jalon Walker and Tennessee's James Pearce Jr. -- in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft.

And, as a result, Judon "acknowledged a return to Atlanta is doubtful," Odegard wrote.

"Yeah, probably," Judon said when asked if the Falcons’ draft moves make a return unlikely. "And then they had another kid (Bralen Trice) who tore his ACL. They’ll want to let them get out there and see what they can do. Hopefully they can be great edges in this league."

The West Bloomfield, Michigan, native said he's "open to whatever" in regard to his future team, but he won't just play anywhere -- it has to make sense. He's spoken to "a couple" of teams and believes he can still play, but he's in no rush to put pen to paper at this stage of the offseason.

"I really haven’t gone to OTAs or minicamps since Year 2 in the league," Judon said. "Right now, I’m just weighing the options, chilling and enjoying my family."