Matthew Judon has no interest in playing the bad guy.
The NFL veteran, known for his playful comments on social media, recently posted a cryptic message that sparked speculation about his future with the Patriots.
However, on Saturday he denied these rumors via X.
“Before you guys start blaming me, I never said that. Please don’t make me out to be the bad guy.” He wrote:
Judon’s social media update appeared to be a direct rebuttal to a report from Patriots insider Greg Bedard on the Greg Bedard Patriots Podcast. It aired on Saturday morning.
“All I know is he may look good in public, and he said all the right things. Do you want to believe him, do you want to take him at his word? Go ahead, I’m not going to stop you,” Bedard said.
“But what I can tell you from the people I’ve spoken to is that he won’t be playing on his current contract, at least with the Patriots. I can’t speak to anywhere else. That’s my understanding. I don’t know exactly what was communicated to teams, but that’s my understanding.”
Judon, 31, is in the final year of a four-year, $54.5 million contract with New England.
Last year, he renegotiated the contract he originally signed with the franchise for 2021, increasing his guaranteed amount from $2 million to $14 million.
Judon is currently guaranteed $6.5 million this season.
Judon played in just four games last season because of a biceps injury, but he totaled 32 sacks, 133 tackles and 49 assists in three seasons with New England.
One fan expressed concern last week that the team’s defense would suffer without Judon and argued for a contract extension. Judon replied.“Ion thinks that’s going to happen soon.”
He then posted a GIF featuring cartoon character SpongeBob Squarepants with the caption: “Let’s go.”
The four-time Pro Bowl linebacker is set to become a free agent after the 2024 season and would obviously like to have a new contract in place before the season starts.
The Patriots are in a period of transition following the departure of head coach Bill Belichick and are looking to bounce back from a 4-13 season that saw them finish last in the AFC East.
The Patriots open training camp on July 24, and whether Judon participates will be a strong indicator of his level of dissatisfaction.
New England will open the preseason against the Panthers on Aug. 8 and open the regular season on the road against the Bengals on Sept. 8.
