Patriots coach Bill Belichick offered some insight about one of the highest-profile free agent signings he’s had during his tenure in New England, saying that outside linebacker Matt Judon was a player the Patriots targeted in 2021 with a contract that showed how highly he is valued.
“Judon’s done a great job for us. We made him our highest-paid player, so I don’t think it was a situation where he was some big secret,” Belichick told The 33rd Team.
The Patriots signed Judon to a four-year, $56 million contract in 2021 after he spent his first five seasons with the Ravens, and Belichick said he’s sure the Ravens would have liked to keep him had they been able to.
“He had a lot of production for the Ravens,” Belichick said. “We’ve lost players like that in the past, too, whether that was [Joe] Thuney going to Kansas City to be the highest-paid lineman or guard or whatever it was. Sometimes you just can’t afford to keep guys because of the structure and just the way it falls. I don’t think there were any issues with Judon, I think he would help any team. It just worked out that we had a good opportunity and financially we were able to compete for him.”
Judon has an $11 million base salary this season and an $18.1 million cap hit, both of which are tops on the Ravens. Belichick thinks signing him was a wise investment.
