Hypothetical Landing Spots for Patriots Star Matthew Judon amid NFL Contract Standoff

While there has been no shortage of buzz surrounding the contract situations of wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and Brandon Aiyuk, Matthew Judon's contract standoff with the New England Patriots has largely flown under the radar.

At least, that was the case until Monday.

The star pass-rusher is entering the final year of his contract and wants a new deal. The four-time Pro Bowler did not participate in Monday's padded practice, and in video captured by NBC Sports Boston, he appeared to exchange words with head coach Jerod Mayo before leaving the field.

While New England probably doesn't want to actively shop arguably its best player, there have been reports that Judon won't play on his current deal in 2024—though he has pushed back on that idea.

"I didn't say that. At all don't let them make me the villain." he posted on X on July 13.

If the Patriots can't navigate the current impasse, though, they may have to consider a trade. New England is rebuilding, and the Grand Valley State product would likely bring a sizeable return.

Here, we'll examine five hypothetical landing spots for Judon, based on factors like team needs, team trajectory and cap space.

Admittedly, the Baltimore Ravens may be the least likely landing spot on this list due to financial reasons.

Judon will undoubtedly want a new long-term deal from his next team, and Baltimore has just $5.8 million in cap space and is projected to be over the cap next offseason.

If Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta can find a creative solution to the financial hurdle, though, this could also be the most logical pairing.

The Ravens are chasing a Super Bowl. They're ready to win now, and any steps they can take to get over the massive roadblock that is the Kansas City Chiefs would be beneficial.

Judon, who spent the first five years of his career in Baltimore, would be a boon. He's coming off a season-ending biceps tear but produced an impressive 15.5 sacks and 42 quarterback pressures with the Patriots the previous season.

Baltimore lost its top 2023 edge-rusher, Jadeveon Clowney, in free agency.

Prying Judon away from New England is exactly the sort of win-now move that DeCosta should consider, even if it requires some book-keeping gymnastics.

While discussing the 31-year-old on our pre-camp trade block big board, we projected a trade value of a conditional third-round pick—likely one that would become a second-round selection if certain parameters are met.

A sack artist such as Judon would be worth every bit of that to a team with Super Bowl aspirations like Baltimore.

While the Chicago Bears aren't likely to contend for a Super Bowl in 2024, they could experience a resurgent season behind rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.

The No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft was widely viewed as the best QB prospect since Joe Burrow, and Chicago has done an excellent job of surrounding him with talent.

This offseason alone, the Bears added offensive standouts such as D'Andre Swift, Ryan Bates, Keenan Allen and rookie wideout Rome Odunze.

Chicago also has a defense that solidified after last year's in-season addition of Montez Sweat and finished the year ranked 12th overall. Adding Judon as a high-end complement to the 2023 Pro Bowler would make a ton of sense for the Bears.

Despite only playing nine games with Chicago in 2023, Sweat led the team with six sacks. He was the only Bears defender to record more than five sacks on the season. Fifth-round draft pick Austin Booker is the only notable addition the team made to its pass rush this offseason.

While acquiring Judon wouldn't directly aid Williams, it would round out the roster and help take some pressure off of the rookie quarterback.

Chicago has the cap space to absorb Judon's $6.5 million base salary, and with roughly $60 million in projected 2025 cap space, it could also afford to extend him.

Like the Ravens, the Detroit Lions fell just one game shy of reaching the Super Bowl last year. Like the Bears, they have one standout edge-rusher and could use another.

Aidan Hutchinson is a budding star who racked up 11.5 sacks in 2023. However, defensive tackle Alim McNeill was the only other Lions defender to record more than three sacks last season.

Detroit didn't add an edge-rusher in the draft, and it's banking heavily on former New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings defender Marcus Davenport to fill the void.

"He's a big, long, athletic guy with a lot of position flexibility," defensive line coach Terrell Williams told reporters in June. "He has a history of playing very, very physical in this league."

While Lions head coach Dan Campbell and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn are both familiar with Davenport from their shared time together with the Saints, betting on him alone is risky. The 2018 first-round pick has flashed potential but has only topped five sacks twice in six seasons.

Judon would be an obvious upgrade over every edge-rusher on Detroit's roster not named Hutchinson. Even after extending stars such as Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Rashawn Slater and Taylor Decker this offseason, the Lions still have $33.8 million in cap space available.

The Jacksonville Jaguars created headlines when they gave quarterback Trevor Lawrence a market-leading contract worth $55 million annually.

The 24-year-old, the first overall pick in the 2021 draft, has shown plenty of high-end upside, but he's delivered only one great season and no playoff wins.

Still, Lawrence is an above-average signal-caller when healthy, and Jacksonville should take advantage of having him before his cap hit starts to balloon in 2028—he'll carry a cap hit of only $15 million this season.

Partnering Judon with star pass-rusher Josh Hines-Allen and ascending defender Travon Walker would help ensure the Jags aren't wasting their investment in Lawrence.

Hines-Allen and Walker both reached double-digit sacks in 2023, but no other player on the roster topped 3.5 quarterback takedowns.

Jacksonville only added Trevis Gipson (11 sacks in four seasons) and seventh-round rookie Myles Cole to its edge rotation this offseason.

Adding Judon to the mix would, theoretically, give Jacksonville one of the top pass-rushing trios in the entire NFL. That could prove invaluable in an AFC South that features young, dynamic quarterbacks in C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson.

Stroud and Richardson may stand in Jacksonville's way as it looks to return to the playoffs after narrowly missing out in 2023, and Judon could help the Jags face that challenge.

With $26.3 million in cap space, they can afford to sign the 31-year-old for the long term.

With $7.8 million in cap space, the Seattle Seahawks could just manage to squeeze in Judon's base salary for 2024. However, extending him would be a bit more challenging, as the Seahawks are projected to be over the cap in 2025.

However, Seattle might just be a near-perfect landing spot for Judon.

New head coach Mike Macdonald was Baltimore's linebackers coach during Judon's last three seasons with the franchise. Under Macdonald, he recorded 22 sacks and made his first two Pro Bowls during those three years.

Macdonald left for Michigan in 2021 but returned as Baltimore's defensive coordinator in 2022. Last season, he oversaw the league's top-ranked scoring defense.

The Seahawks could also use a player like Judon who can rush from the linebacker position. Much of their defensive talent is concentrated along the defensive line and in the secondary.

Boye Mafe led all Seattle defenders with nine sacks in 2023, and Darrell Taylor was the next most-productive linebacker with only 5.5 sacks. Jordyn Brooks (4.5 sacks) departed in free agency, and the team did little to replace him.

Seattle is looking to return to the postseason after falling behind both the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West last season. Doing so will be a challenge, but reuniting Judon and Macdonald could help make it happen.

*Advanced statistics from Pro Football Reference. Cap and contract information via Spotrac.