As one Patriots defensive lineman broods over his contractual status, another just got the extension he desired.
Davon Godchaux and the Pats agreed to a two-year deal worth up to $21 million, with $16.5 million guaranteed. The nose tackle had been scheduled to make $7.15 million in base salary for the upcoming campaign and had conducted a hold-in during mandatory mini-camp, unwilling to risk injury. He has participated in training camp practices, although curiously without leg pads on Monday and Tuesday (at least from what I saw).
At the start of camp, Godchaux compared himself to Indy's Grover Stewart and Cleveland's Dalvin Tomlinson, two players known as primary rocks against the run. Stewart got $17.99 million in guarantees, while Tomlinson received $27.5 million. This contract is a step below those two but a reasonable compromise for a team likely without Christian Barmore for an extended period (the team is still unsure of his timetable).
"I consider myself one of the dominant run players in the league," he said at the time. "Obviously, it's a passing league; a lot of guys get paid big money for their pass rush, which I respect. But at the end of the day, I feel like you got to stop the run to get to the pass rush. I think a lot of people overlook it."
Godchaux added, "I just want some respect."
In this case, respect means money but also stability for a Pats team that will have to play stout defense again this year if it hopes to be competitive.
"The run-player market has gone up, too, not just the pass-rush market," he said.
Meanwhile, Matthew Judon's frustration with not getting a new deal remains front and center. The soon-to-be 32-year-old edge player is searching for a sizeable raise and, despite on-and-off conversations over the off-season and into the summer, is far from getting one.
In the past, including last week, Judon has contended that he doesn't run his social media " X" account and that he only takes control when he's playfully jabbing teammates. Yet earlier today, that account disputed a report from The Athletic that the Pats offered him a new contract sometime over the last 24 to 48 hours.
No they haven’t but it makes me look bad again. Don’t believe the lies
— Matthew Judon (@man_dammn) July 31, 2024
Judon, who caused quite a stir with his actions prior to and during Monday's first fully padded practice, was not at the team's facility on Tuesday. It is still unknown if he stayed away by choice or was told to stay away.
A team source claims the picture painted over the last 48 hours is too much and that those conversations with Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf were not as contentious as they appeared. My response: why weren't Mayo and/or Wolf publicly available during this period to front that notion? And why was Judon not at the facility, if everything is hunky dory? I'm still waiting on a response.
The team returns to the practice field Thursday morning.