Jerod Mayo (Photo via @NBCSBoston Twitter)
New England Patriots star Matthew Judon left practice early on Monday after a verbal exchange with head coach Jerod Mayo.
Judon is entering the final season of a four-year deal he signed with the New England Patriots in the 2021 offseason. Per the Associated Press, Judon stated that he won’t hold out despite his wish for a new deal.
On Monday afternoon, the NBC Sports Boston X/Twitter account shared a video of Judon and Mayo exchanging words at practice. It’s not clear what was said between the two, but Judon was seen leaving the field while his teammates practiced, so he’s presumably not happy about something:
Judon has been widely mentioned as a possible trade candidate with the New England Patriots in rebuilding mode in year one of the post-Bill Belichick era. Judon turns 32 next month and is in line for a lucrative payday, having posted 32 sacks in just 38 games with the Patriots.
Judon was limited to four games last season because of injury, and the Patriots limped to a woeful 4-and-13 record that marked the franchise’s worst finish since the 1992 campaign when they went 2-14.
Belichick and owner Robert Kraft parted ways at the end of the season, and Mayo was promoted to the New England Patriots’ HC role. Executive Eliot Wolf also took over as the de facto GM, a role Belichick held during his 24-year run in Foxborough.
New England Patriots Begin A New Era
The 2024 season will mark the first year without Belichick as head coach of the Patriots since 1999, Pete Carroll’s final season at the helm.
With Belichick, several longtime assistants (Josh McDaniels, Matt Patricia, Dante Scarnecchia) and franchise icon Tom Brady all long gone, things are about to look a whole lot different in New England.
Mayo and the Pats will open their 2024 season with a road contest against Joe Burrow’s Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 8.
