Players come and go, but the show must go on. That’s what happened when the New England Patriots went against the Philadelphia Eagles today without their best pass rusher, Matthew Judon. For a while now, the Boston team has been in a back-and-forth with the linebacker who wants some justice done to his contract.

As it happened, Matthew Judon got traded to the Atlanta Falcons for a 2025 third-round pick, which will help the Patriots win in the future. Judon, who was in the final year of his 4-year, $56 million contract, was looking for something more lucrative. However, he’ll play for the same base salary of $6.5 million with the Falcons this year.

Jacoby Brissett and Jerod Mayo offer well wishes to Matthew Judon

The Patriots HC Jerod Mayo thinks this is a “win-win” situation now that they have a 2025 third-round pick and Judon “gets the chance to go get the contract that he desires with the Falcons.” The Patriots starting QB, and veteran Jacoby Brissett is on the same page with Jerod Mayo’s decision, as he lets it known in the post-game presser.

“Obviously a great player. I mean, I had a short relationship with him. It wasn’t much a year of OTAs and stuff like that and then obviously training camp, building a relationship, enjoy being around him, wish him the best,” said Brissett in the post-game presser after the Pats lost 13-14 to the Birds.

There have been reports that the Falcons don’t have a contract in place for Judon right now. A couple of days ago, Matthew Judon was seen flipping a trash barrel and had an animated exchange with the head coach. He walked away from the argument but eventually returned to speak with Eliot Wolf and the director of player personnel, Matt Groh.

As it happens, it’s Judon’s birthday today, so he might even get a gift in terms of a new contract from the Atlanta Falcons. The Patriots might have not wanted to pay a 32-year-old pass rusher a handsome paycheck. That might also be because he just played 4 games last season and suffered a season-ending Arm Bicep Tear in week 4 against the Cowboys.

“I think it’s a win-win,”  Jerod Mayo said on 98.5 The Sports Hub. “We didn’t look at it as this negotiation or trade has to be a win-lose situation. We get a third-round pick for a veteran pass rusher, and he gets the chance to go get the contract that he desires with the Falcons. So, I think it’s a win-win.”

As of now, Keion White, Oshane Ximines are slated to relace Judon. However, there’s one more name that looks like a viable option for the Pats.

The New England Patriots already have players willing to cover for Matthew Judon

Uche is already getting comfortable with his potential future role. He showed his potential in the preseason game against the Eagles. Coming out with 3 tackles and a sack, the LB is embracing the “next man up mentality.”

“Whatever the coach is asking me to do, I’m always going to try to do my best I can to help the team win, and I got to ramp it up. I got to up and game and everything I can to help the team win,” said Joshua Uche in the post-game presser.

Uche’s last season wasn’t that impressive. However, he had a breakout season in 2022 when he recorded 11.5 sacks. Those are the kind of numbers that got Chris Jones a million dollar bonus! Can Uche step right in as the “next man up”?