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The Chicago Bears tried to trade for four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Matthew Judon before he ultimately landed with the Atlanta Falcons, but the details of why they lost out are somewhat murky amid conflicting reports.
The New England Patriots agreed to trade the 32-year-old Judon to the Falcons in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick on August 14, ending their contract stalemate with one of their most productive defensive players over the past four seasons.
Reports about the trade quickly made it clear that Chicago had been in the mix, too. Bleacher Report insider Jordan Schultz had said it “came down to” the Bears and Falcons.
Things got a little more confusing, however, when Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer later added context to the situation regarding the Bears and Judon’s choice in the matter.
“One addendum to the Patriots/Falcons trade of last week: New England, believing the Bears and Falcons were in a similar category, and with third-round offers from both, gave OLB Matthew Judon his choice of being dealt to Atlanta or Chicago,” Breer wrote on X on August 18. “Judon, obviously, picked Atlanta.”
That’s not exactly how The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs characterized the story, though. According to Biggs, the Bears felt good about trading for Judon “if he was willing to play on [his current] contract for this season.” Judon is due a $6.5 million salary in 2024 and can earn up to an additional $1 million in active-roster bonuses.
“When it became murky as to whether Judon would need a contract extension to play this season — the Falcons haven’t signed him to a new deal yet — the Bears were out,” Biggs wrote in his August 18 weekly column.
Matthew Judon Contract Dispute Presented Obstacle
Biggs’ intel about how the Bears approached Judon’s contract situation aligns with how general manager Ryan Poles has done business in the past. The third-year GM has shown he isn’t afraid to trade for a player and quickly extend him — as he did with star pass rusher Montez Sweat — but Judon is 32 and coming off a season-ending injury, making it difficult for a still-rebuilding team to extend him before seeing him play.
The Bears also have a recent example of what can happen when a team trades for a player seeking a new contract but does not devise a plan to appease his deal demands. The New York Jets are in such a situation with pass rusher Haason Reddick, whom they traded a conditional third-round pick to acquire from Philadelphia in April.
Reddick has continued his pursuit of a new contract and has not practiced once for the Jets since his arrival. According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, he hasn’t even set foot inside the team’s facility since his initial physical and introductory press conference in April. Now, the Jets are in a stalemate with Reddick, who requested a trade on August 12.
The last thing the Bears needed was to find themselves in a similar situation with Judon.
Interestingly, though, Breer’s information about Judon choosing his trade destination could still be relevant. The Falcons have not signed him to an extension and, according to CBS’ Jonathan Jones, “there’s not an expectation one is imminent.” With that in mind, perhaps Judon had a sense of which team would be more open to extending him down the line and chose the Falcons — and their 3-4 defense — based on his info.
Bears Remain Confident in Young Pass Rushers in 2024
The Bears’ attempt to trade for Judon speaks to their desire to add another pass rusher to their defense for the 2024 season. They felt strongly enough about Judon that they offered a third-round pick for him despite his age and recent injury history. Teams also do not often offer to trade a top-100 pick for a player they see as a temporary fix.
That said, Poles has also made it clear that he likes what he has seen from the Bears’ young pass rushers throughout training camp. In an August 17 interview with NFL Network during the broadcast of the Bears’ 27-3 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Poles said he wants the team to be in all the conversations about potential trades but also feels good about the growth of both rookie Austin Booker and Dominique Robinson.
Booker has been a preseason darling for the Bears this summer. In 78 snaps, he has notched 2.5 sacks, 2 tackles for loss, 3 quarterback hits, 4 hurries, 7 pressures and 8 total tackles (5 solo). He is still a bit raw as a rookie, but his athleticism and imposing skills on the pass rush could earn him a big role in 2024.
As for Robinson, the 2022 fifth-round pick is no longer a project even if he is still fighting for his place on the 53-man roster. Robinson had a strong debut as a rookie with 1.5 sacks and 7 tackles in the team’s 2022 season opener, but he has just one half-sack in the 27 games he has played since then. If he can prove to the Bears in camp that he has taken the next step, though, he could supply worthy depth behind the rest.
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