Patriots couldn't wait to trade Matthew Judon to Falcons, or anyone who'd take him

There are two sides to every story. For whatever reason, Matthew Judon could no longer make nice with the New England Patriots, and vice versa. He was promptly traded during the NFL preseason to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Judon wanted a new contract, but the Patriots would not budge and cave into the demands of their formerly best player.

While appearing on 98.5 The Sports Hub and NBC Sports Boston, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer divulged some of what went into Judon leaving New England. Breer told host Michael Felger that Judon was not like by members of the Patriots coaching staff and front office. He then said the same sort of issues happened when we was with the Baltimore Ravens. Breer is well-connected in Boston.

Breer expounded on how quickly Judon fell out of favor with the likes of Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf.

"Judon was not as well-liked by the coaches and front-office people as you might have thought. And that was really part of it at the end, was that they were just sick of him. They felt like there was the public-facing Judon, and then there was Judon behind the scenes. And Judon behind the scenes has sort of become a little bit of an operator, and his act had worn thin with people inside the building..."

This just feels like character assassination from the Patriots, knowing they are about to be so horrific.

"And it's something that was an issue in Baltimore too, quite honestly. So it's not saying he's a bad guy, but there was some of this, again, like this sort of cheerleader stuff on social media that a lot of people in the organization would roll their eyes at. And then when he became a problem this summer, there was, 'all right, like, what do we do to move him off the roster now, because we're trying to build a new program, and we don't want this hovering over us.'"

Breer then said it had a little more to do with an organizational change than Judon's new contract.

"So I think there was a little bit more to the Judon trade than just the contract situation."

Here is a clip from Breer's appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub and NBC Sports Boston last week.

Ultimately, Judon chose to go to Atlanta over the Chicago Bears, so let's let that be what it is now.

New England Patriots wanted to move on from Matthew Judon yesterday

I feel like I have come full circle on the Patriots this offseason. Bill Belichick's resignation was incredibly awkward, as well Mayo's promotion from within. I hated the move because it made the Patriots definitively worse at head coach. Mayo could be a fine head coach in this league, but it will be a baptism by fire for him in year one. If he is given enough time, he could be their great heir apparent.

Over time, I grew to like more and more things the Patriots did this offseason. The promotion of Mayo was easier to stomach with the Patriots hiring Alex Van Pelt to be the offensive coordinator. I loved the Jacoby Brissett signing and the Drake Maye draft pick, as well as Wolf being elevated in the front office. Then, the Judon stuff started to boil over. He wanted to go to a winner and not be in a rebuild.

Even though he is now the most important pass-rusher on the team I root for and cover the most closely, I think we can allow the Patriots to be mad about how it ended for him in Foxborough, even if it comes across as tremendous sour grapes to pretty much everyone else. See, that is the beauty of professional sports. People changes teams all the time. One may love and another may despise you.

What I don't like is the blatant character assassination being put out there by the Patriots brass. Yes, Judon may have a reputation inside league circles, but looping well-run Baltimore into their crap is a little rich for my taste. I know Baltimore doesn't appreciate that. The Ravens actually have games to win. As for Atlanta, a team that was so desperate for a pass rush, is so happy to have Judon aboard.

Overall, you clearly see two teams going in different directions. Atlanta's Super Bowl window is starting to open, while New England wants to tear this thing down to the studs in an attempt for a better tomorrow. There is nothing wrong with being in either phase of one's competitive life cycle. It all goes to show there was rampant communication breakdown between Judon and New England.

If Judon gets a new contract after a 10-sack season in Atlanta, nobody will care about the Patriots.