Matthew Judon is not on the Chicago Bears roster because of money, not projected draft compensation. There was a rumor floating Wednesday night and Thursday morning that the New England Patriots traded Judon to the Atlanta Falcons because the Patriots thought the Falcons’ third-round pick would be better than the Bears’ pick.
Nope.
The Chicago Bears don’t have money for a big trade
As previously discussed on CCS, the Bears have to navigate the trade market carefully in the preseason. Haason Reddick’s name was popular earlier in the week when the New York Jets defensive end requested a trade. However, the Bears don’t realistically have the money to trade for Reddick.
The Bears didn’t have the cash for Judon either.
The Atlanta Falcons offered more money to Matthew Judon’s camp
Former Falcons assistant general manager and NFL Network commentator Scott Pioli was in Halas Hall this week during the Bears’ trade talks with the Patriots. Pioli said the Patriots ultimately chose to trade Judon to the Falcons because Atlanta was offering Judon’s camp a better deal:
“I had a front-row seat listening to Poles and their folks here talking with it, and when it happened, I thought there was a really good chance,” Pioli said. “But what it came down to was the money and what was going to be done with the contract. [Judon] went to Atlanta based on the money and that situation, what the contract was going to be.”
The Bears have limited choices with their budget
If the Bears can’t afford Judon, they definitely can’t afford Reddick, a player two years younger than Judon. The Bears can’t even afford to sign Yannick Ngakoue at the price the free agent pass rusher wants in the preseason.
One would expect the Bears to stay aggressive in the market for defensive end help, but their wallet might not match head coach Matt Eberflus’ ambition before the 2024 season.
For More Chicago Sports:
Follow me on Twitter at @JordanSig, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Jordan Sigler via email at jordanmsigler@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks.
‘Stuff Happens’: Chicago Bears OL Nate Davis has message for fans who think he’s blowing off practice
Read MoreFor More Great Chicago Sports Content
Get the latest Chicago sports news, analysis, and breaking stories on the Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks, Cubs, White Sox, Sky, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, so you never miss a story on your favorite Chicago teams.
Follow us on Twitter at @chicitysports23 for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Chicago sports news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE
1 Comment
Also we need to keep in mind that the Bears have had a number of high draft picks in recent seasons, not the least of which are Williams and Odunze. And they’ll have three more top picks in 2025, plus any there are any number of later round players that might outplay their draft slots. All those cats are going to be in line for extensions in a short period of time, and Williams’ will probably be mind-melting. The days of swinging for the fences on big free agent prizes are probably over in Chicago for the foreseeable future.