Earlier this month, the New England Patriots waited on a player to choose a trade destination.
That was San Francisco 49ers wideout Brandon Aiyuk, who is still yet to resolve his trade request after the Patriots stepped away from further negotiations.
This week, they waited for a player on their roster to make a decision. That player is Matthew Judon.
After a rather public contract dispute this training camp, Judon and the Patriots brought their chapter to a close when New England traded the Pro Bowl pass rusher to the Atlanta Falcons for a third-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Before making the deal, the Patriots reportedly had similar offers from the Falcons and the Chicago Bears. According to NFL insider Albert Breer, New England left the choice to Judon.
"One addendum to the Patriots/Falcons trade of last week: New England, believing the Bears and Falcons were in a similar category, and with offers from both, gave OLB Matthew Judon his choice of being dealt to Atlanta or Chicago," Breer posted on X on Sunday. "Judon, obviously, picked Atlanta." '
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo felt the deal marked a "win win" with Atlanta getting a long-needed edge rusher with New England adding solid draft capital for next spring with a developmental season on the way in Foxboro.
