Matthew Judon might be on the backend of his contract, but he has his eyes set on staying with the New England Patriots beyond that.
The Pro Bowl edge rusher revealed to WBZ's Dan Roche over the weekend that he wants to retire with the team that signed him in 2021.
“I don't ever want to leave,” Judon told Roche.
Judon revealed his hopes to retire with the Patriots while he was interviewed by Roche as he was glass blowing at Gather Gass in Providence, Rhode Island. He said that he's looking to find hobbies within the region to help acclimate himself more within the community.
“I’m finding stuff like this, just making it home and trying to be more of a part of the community, so honestly I never want to leave,” Judon said. “That’s not my intent. Forever. I want to retire here, I’m very comfortable. I love it.”
Matthew Judon: "I'm finding stuff like this, and just making it home. Trying to be more part of the community. I honestly never want to leave; that's not my intent, forever. I want to retire here." https://t.co/3XR3jb1d6r
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) July 24, 2023
Based on his play, Judon has good reason to want to stay in New England. He's arguably had the two best seasons of his seven-year career with the Patriots. He recorded 12.5 sacks in 2021, setting a career-high. He topped that in 2022 with 15.5 sacks as he and Josh Uche combined to be the league's leading sack duo.
In addition to all of the sacks he recorded, Judon had two forced fumbles last year and had a fumble recovery. He's also had two of his best tackling seasons in New England, recording 60 combined tackles in each of the last two years.
Now, the Patriots haven't had the team success that Judon has probably hoped for. They made the playoffs in 2021 and missed it in 2022, going 10-7 and 8-9, respectively.
But it's clear that the Patriots have at least a good enough team to compete week in and week out. And the Patriots' defense has played a role in that over the last couple of years, ranking eighth in total defense this past season.
Matthew Judon could help bridge the next era in New England as younger defensive players like Uche, Kyle Dugger, and Christian Barmore have provided solid play. Rookies Christian Gonzalez, Keion White, and Marte Mapu could potentially add to that, too. In fact, Judon praised several of those players back in June for their unique talents.
“With our coaches and with the players that we have, it’s not unusual [where the defense is at right now],” Judon said then. “We have unicorns, for real.
“We have a guy like [Kyle] Dugger that can play on the line of scrimmage, at linebacker; he can play at corner but he’s a safety. And then we drafted [Keion White] who can play from nose to middle linebacker. We have big, rangy corners, too. Corners like Marcus Jones, he played three, four positions each different unit; offense, defense, and special teams. With that, it’s not unusual.
“You gotta get those players on the field, right? And so you find our coaches do a great job of finding any way to get those players in different packages on the field and put them in situations where they can compete and they can win. And that's what they're doing.”
Matthew Judon, who has tweeted about DeAndre Hopkins joining the #Patriots multiple times the offseason, said he just wants to focus on who is on the team. Also complimented the team’s WRs group.
“If he’s here, then he’s here.”#ForeverNE pic.twitter.com/9FnwU1lan7
— Conor Roche (@ConorRoche27) June 13, 2023
Judon, who is entering the third year of a four-year, $54 million deal, didn't specifically mention those players in his interview. But he's calling on all of his teammates to be ready when they hit the practice field for the first time on Wednesday.
“When you come out there, just know you're there. You're not on vacation no more,” Judon said. “You are on the field and aware and conscious of which is which, what is being asked of you and what needs to be done.
“Everyone has to be aware of the playbook, their assignments, and be ready.”
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