Chicago Bears Wanted Matthew Judon, But Only With a New Contract

Shortly after

Matthew Judon

requested a trade from the

New England Patriots

, the team granted his wish, and sent him to the

Atlanta Falcons

for a 3rd round pick.

However, the most recent episode of a profanity-free Hard Knocks revealed that the

Chicago Bears

were targeting the 32-year-old pass rusher as well, and even offered the same deal as Atlanta.

The main sticking point in preventing the deal from happening was that the Bears wanted Judon to agree to a contract extension before the deal took place.

Bears GM Ryan Poles said on the episode:

Judon opted to go to the Falcons, who were willing to take him without an extension.

The show’s narrator Liev Schreiber added:

So why didn’t the deal materialize? We may have an idea based on recent comments from Judon.

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Judon Has Not Yet Signed an Extension, Wants to ‘Earn’ His Next Contract

Judon is betting on himself to bounce back and earn a higher payday.

Judon is in the final year of his contract, which carries a cap hit of just $6.7 million.

The reason why Judon asked for a trade in New England was because the team wouldn’t negotiate a new deal with him, with Judon coming off a season-ending bicep tear last year.

Ironically, Judon has not pushed the Falcons into granting him an extension just yet.

The underlying reason may be that, at 32 years old, Judon knows that he’ll be able to earn more if he shows some production early on in Atlanta.

Had he accepted the trade to Chicago and signed an extension with the Bears, it likely would’ve been at a much lower number than he could earn if he bounces back this season.

He had proven to be an elite edge rusher for New England in 2021 and 2022, and will want to get back to that level before naming his price.

If Judon stays healthy, he should be a terrific addition for a Falcons team that needed help at edge rusher.

The question that comes up now is, how would Judon have fit with the Bears?

Judon Could’ve Formed a Nice 1-2 Punch With Montez Sweat

The Bears registered just 30 sacks in 2023, ranking 31st in the NFL.

It’s not hard to see why the Bears targeted Judon in a trade, after they finished with just 30 sacks last season. The mid-season addition of Montez Sweat certainly transformed their defense, as Sweat registered 6.0 sacks in Chicago (for a season total of 12.5), but Chicago still needs more help in that area.

The Bears did finish first against the run, allowing just 86.4 yards per game, but still need some punch on the edge.

The Bears mainly prioritized their offense this season, and that will improve their team as a whole, but they are still missing another edge rusher.

Source: Pro Football Talk

All stats are courtesy of Pro Football Reference, unless stated otherwise.

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