A New England Patriots teammate has advised Matthew Judon to stick to his day job.
Even before Bill Belichick was given the boot, Judon has tried to assume the role of New England’s general manager, sliding into the social media mentions of any high-profile free agent showing the mere semblance of desiring a change of address.
Judon’s endeavor has been literal fantasy football: over the past two years, Aaron Donald, Xavien Howard, DeAndre Hopkins, and Marlon Humphrey are just a handful of names to hear the call of Judon. Patriots fans need no reminder that none of them have donned a Flying Elvis on their helmets in recent times.
That drew the attention of X user @Chase6D, who called Judon the “worst GM in the league” due to his “0 for 100” track record. That drew agreement from Judon’s fellow linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley, who declared “No lies told,” going as far as to tag Judon’s famous account in his response guaranteeing he’d see it in a bit of a role reversal.
It’s likely all in good fun between the linebackers, who are among the longest-tenured members of the Patriots’ ever-changing roster. Judon previously referred to Bentley, a career-long Patriot set to enter his seventh season with the team, as one of the team’s most valuable leaders.
“I think with the departure of (Devin McCourty) and (Dont’a) Hightower and a couple of other guys, that he’s seen and he’s waited his turn. He learned from some great leaders,” Judon said in September, per Dakota Randall of NESN. “I think he’s becoming one of those guys that’s going to be on a wall around here someday very soon.
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Before star receiver Calvin Ridley signed a four-year deal with the Tennessee Titans this offseason, he reportedly turned down a significant offer from the New England Patriots.
According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the Patriots “were aggressive with their pitch” to Ridley because of their desire to improve their receiving corps which currently includes JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kendrick Bourne, DeMario Douglas, Tyquan Thornton and Jalen Reagor.
In his lone season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Ridley played in all 17 games and recorded 76 receptions for 1,018 yards and eight touchdowns. New England reportedly saw him as a major upgrade on the outside.
“One reason the Patriots were hot on Ridley — he totaled 768 yards on passes thrown outside the numbers last season, which was the fifth most in the NFL,” Reiss stated. “In 2023, the Patriots ranked second to last in the NFL in receiving yards on passes thrown outside the numbers, according to ESPN Stats & Information. New England’s 1,581 receiving yards on passes thrown outside the numbers last season was more than only the [New York] Jets (1,515).”
Ridley ended up accepting a $92 million contract offer from the Titans, who “had the combination of money and on-field elements he was looking for — which included a receiver in DeAndre Hopkins to play opposite of and help bring out the best in him,” per Reiss.
Losing out on Ridley continued a lackluster offseason for New England, which is a team in transition after parting ways with longtime head coach Bill Belichick and moving on from quarterback Mac Jones. First-year head coach Jerod Mayo will have his work cut out for him while the Patriots continue their rebuild.
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