Getty New England Patriots pass rusher Matthew Judon
The New England Patriots will need to make some additions if they hope to improve after a difficult 2022 regular season and Matthew Judon has begun his recruiting efforts.
The defensive superstar took to Twitter to try and court Aaron Donald.
@AaronDonald97 @PSchrags @JOEL9ONE @gmfb @NFLMedia @nflnetwork Aye ain’t nobody wearing 99 in New England. Just saying 🤷🏾♂️
Donald was replying to a video where Chris Long says that Donald will play next year. The former teammate of Donald’s also discussed the pass rusher ending his career outside of Los Angeles.
“I would love to see him on the move,” Long said on “The Season With Peter Schrager.”
Donald is a surefire Hall of Famer once he decides to end his career. He has done everything that a player could in the NFL.
The defensive tackle has racked up 490 tackles, 103 sacks, 24 forced fumbles, and seven fumble recoveries per Pro Football Reference. He is also a nine-time Pro Bowler, seven-time All-Pro, and three-time Defensive Player of the Year.
A gold jacket is awaiting Donald the moment he decides to retire.
It Will be Difficult for the New England Patriots to Acquire Aaron Donald
Acquiring Donald would take a lot from New England. The defensive tackle still has two years left on his three-year, $95 million contract per Spotrac.
Even at 31 years old, Donald would garner a haul from prospective teams. This would likely include multiple top-tier players and draft picks.
While it would be great to have a player of Donald’s caliber, New England’s defense is the least of its problems. The Patriots need to upgrade their offense before making any moves on defense.
The New England Patriots Interviewed Bill O’Brien
On Thursday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Patriots had interviewed Bill O’Brien for their offensive coordinator vacancy. Rapoport added that O’Brien is a “top candidate.”
This aligns with what Patriots insider Tom E. Curran had been hearing regarding O’Brien. Curran described him as New England’s “primary target.”
“The primary target is former Patriots OC, former Penn State and Texans head coach, former Alabama OC Bill O’Brien. There is unanimity on all sides that O’Brien’s the best person for the job and — while there are other candidates with merit — the familiarity ownership and Mac Jones have with O’Brien and O’Brien’s willingness to return mean it would be an upset if he doesn’t get the job,” Curran wrote.
The Patriots have interviewed other candidates beside O’Brien. Earlier this week the team reportedly interviewed Adrian Klemm, the current assistant head coach/run game coordinator/offensive line coach with Oregon, Cardinals wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson, Vikings wide receivers coach Keenan McCardell, and current Patriots tight ends coach Nick Caley.
If New England wants to get their man, it will need to do so quickly. The Tampa Bay, Cardinals Los Angeles Chargers, Indianapolis Colts, Washington Commanders, New York Jets, Rams, and the Tennessee Titans are all in need of offensive coordinators.
While Rapoport noted that the Patriots likely aren’t done interviewing, he also did say that New England might be done by Friday.
“The #Patriots aren’t done interviewing. But they may be by tomorrow….” Rapoport tweeted on Thursday.