FOXBOROUGH - Matthew Judon is a man of his word. He said he wouldn't conduct a hold-in this summer, calling what he did last year "trash" during a radio interview on "The Rich Shertenlieb Show" earlier this offseason. Sure enough, the former Pro Bowl edge rusher was a full participant on Wednesday's first day of training camp and then a surprise participant in a post-session media scrum.
Judon was open and honest about his situation. Slated to make just $6.5 million this year and another $1 million in per-game roster bonuses (per Spotrac), he is dramatically underpaid. But after an injury cost him most of last season, nothing has been accomplished to sweeten the current deal or negotiate an extension. And to Judon's knowledge, that hasn't changed in the previous 24 hours.
"You all be knowing before (me)," joked Judon. "Honestly, it's tough going into the last year of the deal. You kind of look at everybody around the league and in the building, and you see them getting deals done and worked out. It's tough not to be jealous, envious, or something like that, but honestly, I got to focus on myself.
"I'm happy for those guys. And as much as everybody wants to see me stick around here for a long time, it's really not up to me. I'd pay myself a lot of money and be around here for a long time, but it's not up to me. You gotta ask those guys (Eliot Wolf) that's making those decisions. And they're trying to do what's best for the team. Rightfully so and understandably. They're trying to put us in the right spot to win games..."
Keeping Judon, or at least satiating him with a salary bump this year, makes sense if the Pats want to win games. The 32-year-old was playing at a high level before the injury and had been available every week during his first two years in New England. Judon hopes the two sides can find some common ground, but in the meantime, he says he's doing what he should.
"I mean, I got to, honestly," he said of playing under the current contract. "Bro, that's - again - I signed a deal. My signature on it, so I got to play on it. Would I like to? No. Do I think that's my value? No. But again, bro, that's not up to me."
Though he's clearly dissatisfied with the money he's making, and earlier referenced other players on the team getting paid (the Christian Barmore contract has impacted both Judon and Davon Godchaux's salary desires), the man with the red sleeves isn't interested in a trade (at least not yet).
"Hell naw."
Judon has 32 sacks in 38 games with the Pats. That's tied for the 10th most in the league over that time. At his age, he can't make a case to be paid like a T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett, or Nick Bosa - the top three on that list - but somewhere around $15 million (what Trey Hendrickson, the 5th player on the list, makes) feels like a proper slot, and with the mountain of cap space the Pats have, easily accomplished. Then again, is this where Wolf draws a hard line?
"I hope I can play here this year. I hope I can continue to wear red sleeves, continue to contribute for this defense, be a catalyst to one of the best defenses in the league," Judon said. "... But if that's not the case, that's not the case."
PAY PEPPERS
The Pats handed out a bunch of contracts this off-season, but now the next order of business is identifying and retaining players entering the last years of their deals. Judon is in that discussion, and some would make a case for Godchaux more strongly than others (clearing my throat). I would push Jabril Peppers to the front of that group. He's coming off the best year of his career. He was one of the team's better players, a tone-setter with his physicality, energy, and enthusiasm.
"I definitely want to be here, but at the end of the day, I pay somebody to do the business for me," Peppers told us post-practice Wednesday. "My job is to go out there, be who I am, be the best version of myself, and try to get the best out of my guys.
Even after a 4-13 season and a coaching change (don't forget, Joe Judge recommended Peppers to Bill Belichick), the veteran safety has embraced being a Patriot for various reasons.
"Everything," he said. "I love the area. It's not too far from home, a perfect fit for me. A lot of guys here. So, at the end of the day, all I can control is what I can control."
I asked Peppers if there had been any discussions about an extension. He smiled but wasn't willing to discuss it.
"I don't really speak on, you know, contract situations."
His running mate in the secondary, Kyle Dugger, got a healthy new deal from the team after hitting free agency (they did initially stick the transitional tag on Dugger). Though the two are at their best when they're playing in the box, Peppers did show better than expected during his "true" free safety snaps, which perhaps convinced Jerod Mayo and company to not find a genuine apples-to-apples replacement for Devin McCourty (who is entering year two of retirement). Peppers believes the Pats' defense can cause havoc with both guys on the field simultaneously, which is pretty much how it went last season.
"We're both very cerebral players," he said. "We think the game and see a lot of the things the same way. And, you know, I think it helps with our disguises. We're not at the same spot, down in and down out. And we really make quarterbacks read it post-snap, and I think that presents a challenge."
Peppers was slowed at the end of practice today but assured us it was just a case of cramps and that he'll be back at it tomorrow. He had to deal with a random NFL drug test and couldn't fall back asleep. Thanks, Roger Goodell.