This week, the Chicago Bears finally tipped their hand when news broke that star pass rusher Matthew Judon had been traded to the Atlanta Falcons. People felt it was coming. The four-time Pro Bowler was in a contract standoff with the New England Patriots. Both sides wouldn’t budge. Atlanta was desperate for pass rush help and so sent a 3rd round pick to the Patriots for his rights. What shocked many is they weren’t the only team in hot pursuit of Judon. Jordan Schultz and other insiders revealed the Bears came close to swinging that deal.
It made sense. While the team has star defensive end Montez Sweat, they lack a definitive option across from him. Yannick Ngakoue left in free agency. DeMarcus Walker isn’t a true edge. They love what they’ve seen from rookie Austin Booker, but he’s still raw. Judon would’ve been a perfect short-term solution. So what happened? Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston provided details. It turns out the Bears made the same exact offer as Atlanta. In the end, New England went with the Falcons’ pick. This offers a strong indication they feel Chicago will have the better season.
After a longstanding contractual impasse with the 32-year-old pass-rusher, the Patriots dealt Judon to the Falcons on Wednesday for a 2025 third-round pick, per league sources.
There were several teams interested in acquiring the 32-year-old, according to league sources, including the Bears, whose desire for a pass-rusher led them to offer a third-round selection of their own. The Patriots opted for the Atlanta pick and now own nine choices in the 2025 draft.
The Matthew Judon saga reveals a few things.
It confirms the Bears are hunting for pass rush help. That isn’t a big surprise. Everybody could see they have depth concerns behind Sweat. Matt Eberflus likes to throw pass rushers at opponents in waves. The Bears don’t have enough bodies for that. It also says they are willing to be aggressive in pursuit of help. Offering a 3rd round pick is no joke. That is a hefty price for a 32-year-old player who missed 13 games last season. They are willing to make a strong push to address the problem.
Unfortunately, the list of options has narrowed. They could pivot to Haason Reddick, who is also in a contract standoff with the New York Jets. However, the team has made it clear they have no intention of trading him. There are some rumors about Trey Hendrickson in Cincinnati, but none of them seem credible at this point. Maybe another unexpected name out there could become available in the next couple of weeks. Matthew Judon didn’t work out. Still, the pursuit will continue.
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