Patriots' Matthew Judon Keeps It Real on Potential Contract Holdout

Earlier this offseason, we started to see some traction generated on an extension nearing to be on the table for New England Patriots veteran pass rusher Matthew Judon. The 32-year-old will be entering the last year of his contract for this upcoming season, and all eyes are locked on what the future will hold for the 2x Pro Bowler.

Judon raised some eyebrows in late May when he dished an ominous tweet out to the public, which many linked to a contract agreement between him and New England potentially being in place. However, fast forward two weeks later, and it's been radio silence on the situation.

The uncertainty of not having a long-term deal in place could raise concerns for some players, and even lead to an ugly negotiation battle with the franchise. Oftentimes, it can result in an absence or lengthy holdout stemming from the player, a turn of events-- which nobody wants to transpire.

Per a recent interview though, Judon sees the landscape of his contract situation a bit differently, and it's safe to say we shouldn't expect the same unsightly fate for the New England edge rusher.

Judon dove into a bit of his contract plans in an interview with Rich Shertenlieb on WZLX, where regardless of where he and New England stand when it comes to his upcoming deal, the three-year Patriot is still "very blessed" to be at the place he is in his career:

"You kind of keep throwing tantrums, tantrums, tantrums, and then you don’t come out there and do what you’re supposed to do? It gets old, real fast. Last year, that stuff was trash. I ain’t really like that... It’s like, all right, I could be getting paid a lot more ... or y’all could not know my name, and I could be broke, and I could be living paycheck to paycheck or struggling. ... I’m very blessed to be in this situation. I’m not going to take it for granted."Matthew Judon

Judon is currently set to be on a $7.5 million deal for this upcoming year and will hit the free-agent market without a new contract agreement in place. All signs have pointed to New England planning on having him back on the squad for the long haul, but without any pen officially put to paper, it's hard to have 100% certainty.

The eight-year league vet is coming off a year that was cut short due to a bicep injury after four short games, but after a full offseason of recovery, Judon can easily see a route back to his production from 2022. Two seasons ago, he posted 15.5 sacks and 60 total tackles en route to his second Pro Bowl nod. To have that production back on the defensive side of the ball would be a massive lift for this Patriots team.

New England must ensure to hammer out the details on a deal soon, as Week One of the fresh NFL season is creeping up by the day. This Patriots defense is not the same group without the presence of Judon, and the front office needs to ensure he remains a part of this core for the foreseeable future.