If I said it once, I said it aduodecilliontimes.
Big or small, he doused them before they were able to burn the castle down.
And everything in between.
In fact most of the time he turned it into a winning issue for his team.
Being a head coach is tough enough when times are good.
It’s when your best players are also your most unhappy that the real heavy lifting happens.
And so it is with Matthew Judon.
But on the practice field, he’s looked anything like a disgruntled man.
He comes out early to interact with the fans like you see above.
And has done whatever he’s been asked to.
Until the first day of padded practices.
Which he took as an opportunity to let it be known he’s very much gruntled.
Not putting on his gear.
Taking a seat on an upside down trash barrel on the far end of the field.
And exchanging some stern, serious-looking words with Mayo.
Here’s a still:
Andhere’s a video, which I can’t get to embed.
He’s been nothing short of the Patriots best player over that span.
The money, no one is sure about.
Last year he skipped practices before signing a deal that raised his pay to $14 million guaranteed.
This year, he stands to make $6.5 million with roster bonuses of $1 million per game.
In all likelihood, he’s less worried about 2024 than his future beyond it.
Which is where the age comes in.
That we do know, because there are birth records.
In two weeks, Judon turns 32.
Which would be 25th Amendment time if he was a running back.
But is more of “Approaching the 18th tee” for a pass rusher.
JJ Watt was 33 when he had 12.5 sacks in his final year for Arizona.
Aaron Donald was 32 when he had 8.0 for the Rams before hanging it up last year.
And everything to do with the actuarial tables.
Like it’s so often been said, “God promises a tomorrow to no outside linebacker.”
No matter how much cap space his team has.
Which brings us to where this is all headed.
And it’s hard to decide which solution is worse.
On the other, you’re trading from a position of weakness that won’t get you much ROI.
But this is the business Mayo, Wolf and Groh have chosen.
So it’s up to them to weather this and find a solution.
All the rest of us can do see how it plays out.
So that at least is comforting.
Anyway, stay tuned for further updates.
