The New England Patriots have ended their contract impasse with four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Matthew Judon via trade. News broke Wednesday night that the 32-year-old would be sent to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick.
Publicly, it seemed like the issue may have gone away after Judon returned to practice action and ended his sideline antics at training camp.
But, behind the scenes, was there ever another option besides trade? In the view of Jermaine Wiggins, there probably wasn’t.
“At this point, you knew you weren’t going to pay him,” Wiggy said on Thursday’s edition of The Greg Hill Show.
“If you probably said to him, ‘Hey, listen, just go out there, let's see how you look in the first couple of games. If you look like you're back to your regular self, we'll give you some more money.’ But they probably didn't say that.”
Courtney Cox also commented on how the player’s conduct during his contract dispute may have soured the Patriots.
“Don't you think it got a little bit too far gone once you bring in the social media aspect and things that Judon said?,” Cox said.
Greg Hill thought his behavior at training camp and comments about Jerod Mayo and the front office were more significant in the trade than his conduct on social media.
“The social media, I could care less,” Hill said.
“But you're sitting there dressing down your head coach, who's a new head coach, in front of everybody, media, players, other coaches. That doesn't generally go well wherever you do it.”
The team’s decision to move on from Judon comes right after they were unsuccessful in acquiring wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk from the San Francisco 49ers despite reportedly offering him the most money. What do these two moves say about the state of the
franchise?
“I think we are all going to have to accept the reality, the unfortunate reality, at some point, maybe, that this team, this destination, is one that is not going to be attractive in any way, shape or form, I don't care how much money is attached to it, to a legit, talented free agent,” Hill said.
“Therefore, I hate saying this, you are going to have to build this team through the draft, and that is the only way that you are going to be able to build this football team.”
Wiggy agreed that New England has become less attractive to the top-end talent in the NFL, regardless of how much money Robert Kraft can spend.
“If it's not about the money, then it's about the landing spot,” Wiggy said.
It’s not just about the quality of the on-field product; it’s also about the franchise’s quality and treatment of players as a whole.
“It's about the destination, it's about the opportunity to win, it's about who the quarterback is, it's about the freaking players lounge, the way the wives are treated,” Hill said.
“I am just preparing you for the eventuality that the only way to build this team is going to be through the draft,” he continued.
“For those who are saying, ‘Geez, you got rid of Matt Judon, what's the deal?’ You got a third-round pick, and you're probably very happy with that if you're Eliot Wolf, because you understand that that's the way you're gonna have to build your football team.”