Prior to joining the New England Patriots in 2021, edge rusher Matthew Judon was a force to be reckoned with and made the Pro Bowl in 2019 and 2020. In both seasons, Judon registered 9.5 sacks (2019) and 6 sacks (2020), and helped the Baltimore Ravens reach the playoffs both years.

After making a name for himself on a tough hard-nose defense, Judon took his talents to New England where he signed a four-year $56 million contract, a price that was unheard of for a free agent under the Bill Belichick era.

Belichick and his staff utilized him in better ways, and since joining the Patriots in 2021, Judon managed to record double-digit sack seasons for the first time in his career. He not only accomplished double-digit sacks in year one in New England but improved his sack total in 2022 by recording a career-high 15.5 sacks. He reached the Pro Bowl for another consecutive two years, and was ranked 33rd on the NFL’s Top 100 Players of 2023, a show voted on by his fellow peers.

The change of scenery and a veteran coaching staff who understands how to not only utilize talent in proper ways, but also how to play defense, made Judon reach new heights. It will be interesting to see how the new regime manages to implement Judon, or will they even have the chance? There have been rumors that Judon is done in New England and wants to help a new NFL team in 2024.

Matthew Judon NFL Statistics: 

2016: Baltimore Ravens: 27 Combined Tackles, 4 Sacks, 1 Fumble Recovery

2017: Baltimore Ravens: 61 Combined Tackles, 8 Sacks, 2 Forced Fumbles

2018: Baltimore Ravens: 44 Combined Tackles, 7 Sacks, 1 Forced Fumble

2019: Baltimore Ravens: 54 Combined Tackles, 9.5 Sacks, 4 Forced Fumbles (Career High)

2020: Baltimore Ravens: 50 Combined Tackles, 6.0 Sacks, 0 Forced Fumbles

2021: New England Patriots: 60 Combined Tackles, 12.5 Sacks, 1 Fumble Recovery

2022: New England Patriots: 60 Combined Tackles, 15.5 Sacks, 2 Forced Fumbles

2023: New England Patriots: 13 Combined Tackles, 4.0 Sacks, 0 Forced Fumbles

While all of this rumor-mill begins to unfold, one thing can be certain – he eyes redemption after an injury-riddled year where he only managed to play in four games, registering four sacks and 13 combined tackles.

This offseason, Judon has been mostly quiet working on his recovery, but on July 3rd he posted a very cryptic message on social media platform X.

pic.twitter.com/JVXZYd6wOB

— Matthew Judon (@man_dammn) July 3, 2024

The SpongeBob gif that says, “Ight Imma Head Out”, likely signals the end of his tenure with the Patriots. We will be checking to see if any roster moves occur as training camp gets underway, but a healthy Matthew Judon is a positive for any defense.

He is an impact player and a veteran who has seen so much throughout his eight-year career. A young defense will benefit the most from his presence and knowledge as he looks for redemption after missing so much last year.