The Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots have Super Bowl history, but in the NFL, yesterday’s enemies can be today’s friends. At least, that’s how it would need to go if one NFL analyst’s projected fit were to come to fruition.
Writing in an article for Bleacher Report, Gary Davenport opened up the possibility that Patriots star Matthew Judon could be worth taking a long look at for the Eagles.
Here’s how he put it:
“Provided he truly is healthy, he could have considerable value to any number of NFL teams. But for the Patriots, that value lies more in what they can get for him in a trade than his chasing around quarterbacks for a five-win football team in 2024.”
At the core of Davenport’s argument is Matthew Judon’s age. At 31, Judon is in the final seasons of his career. With little time remaining and a holdout already ongoing, an exit could be in the cards.
With only a limited number of years left and likely the vast majority of his offers set to shrink over time, one big incentive would be to get a Super Bowl shot.
Getting added to the Eagles would mean joining a unit with recent Super Bowl experience and youth, which offers two massive ingredients needed for a deep playoff run. If a team gets too old, they get too slow. However, if a team is too young, they usually lack enough playoff experience.
Matthew Judon hopes for massive bounce-back season
The post-Brady star made a name for himself with the Baltimore Ravens during the transition to Lamar Jackson in the late 2010s. However, as time has continued, the odds of a slip have only increased.
2023 marked the first big slip for Judon. The star pass rusher earned just four sacks in 2023, which tied for his rookie season as the lowest total of his career.
However, according to Pro Football Reference, Judon earned those four sacks in four games. Meaning, the burst appears to be still intact, offering plenty of reason for the Eagles to bite. Additionally, Judon offers plenty of playoff experience of his own, which could be as valuable as gold for the Eagles.
That said, the biggest question is whether Judon can remain available in 2024. Judon proved that when available, he can get it done. However, his availability likely will remain the biggest question about the linebacker for the rest of his career.
Judon is simply an option for the Philadelphia Eagles. Nothing has officially tied the two sides to trade talks. But, it’s a very interesting option that is worth considering.
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