After their Michael Penix Jr. selection, the Falcons tried to trade back into the first round — for the purpose of acquiring a pass rusher. Atlanta is circling back here, doing so via trade. The NFC South team is set to resolve the Patriots’ Matt Judon issue.
The Falcons are close to finalizing an agreement to acquire Judon from the Pats, according to NFL reporter Jordan Schultz. As New England has gone through with several pricey deals for veterans this offseason, Judon remains in a contract year and has expressed frustration. He would stand to fill a key need for a Falcons team short on edge rushers.
Atlanta is sending New England a third-round pick for the ninth-year edge presence, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. This will bring an end to an offseason saga that had Judon at odds with the team’s new-look front office. The former Ravens draftee, who produced double-digit sack seasons in his first two Patriots years, is going into his age-32 season.
Both the Falcons’ top sack artists from last season — Bud Dupree, Calais Campbell — signed elsewhere this offseason, and the Falcons were unable to swing a deal that would have landed them one of this draft’s premier edge players. This has been an Atlanta issue for a long time now, as Thomas Dimitroff-era first-round investments Vic Beasley and Takk McKinley did not pan out. In Judon, the Falcons would land a proven sack artist — albeit one coming off an injury-shortened season.
It will be interesting to see if the Falcons have a deal ready for Judon, as this otherwise could remind of the situation transpiring in New York. The Jets traded a conditional third-round pick to the Eagles for Haason Reddick but have been unable to bring him in, with a lengthy holdout transpiring due to a contract impasse. One season remains on Judon’s contract, which he attempted to upgrade during his final months in New England. No new contract is in place yet, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero.
We heard earlier this week teams were calling on Judon’s availability, and The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports several teams discussed the pass rusher with the Pats. After signing off on several extensions and re-signings of Bill Belichick-era acquisitions, new Pats front office boss Eliot Wolf will move on in exchange for a Day 2 pick. This deal makes sense from both sides, as a rebuilding team will move a disgruntled 30-something in a contract year to a club suddenly readier to win thanks to Kirk Cousins‘…