The Atlanta Falcons attempted to trade for defensive end Montez Sweat at last year’s trade deadline but were outbid by the Chicago Bears. On Wednesday night, the Falcons got their revenge by beating out the Bears for New England Patriots outside linebacker Matthew Judon.
Atlanta is sending a third-round pick to New England for Judon, but Chicago was reportedly in the mix until the very end, according to NFL reporter Jordan Schultz. “Several teams were interested in Matthew Judon, but it ultimately came down to the Bears and Falcons, with Atlanta finalizing the deal today,” Schultz wrote on Twitter.
The Falcons will have to clear some cap space to complete the trade, or possibly work an extension with Judon. The team is about $3 million short of the $6.5 million it needs. As we examined on Wednesday, there are several ways for Atlanta to create cap space for the trade.
The Bears weren’t the Falcons’ only competition for Judon. According to a report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Houston Texans were also involved in trade talks with the Patriots.
“While the Bears were heavily involved in Matt Judon trade talks, the Texans also showed some interest, I’m told,” said Fowler. “The Patriots had a healthy market for him, ultimately leading to a Falcons deal.”
Judon, 32, has 66.5 career sacks and 165 QB hits since entering the league in 2016. While he missed a big portion of the 2023 season due to a torn bicep, Judon had a career-high 15.5 sacks in 2022. Even with the injuries, Judon posted an impressive 32 sacks over 38 games in New England.
Atlanta will look to Judon to help a defense that just lost third-round pick Bralen Trice. The veteran pass rusher gives the team some firepower to make a potential playoff run in 2024.
