The New England Patriots kicked off Thursday by agreeing to a contract restructure with three-time Pro Bowl linebacker Matthew Judon, per ESPN’s Field Yates.
If you were thinking this move was the team’s golden ticket into the Odell Beckham Jr. sweepstakes, then you’re probably going to be very disappointed.
According to Yates, the Patriots created $2,214,445 in cap space by reworking Judon’s contract. That leaves the team with just enough wiggle room for future in-house moves. such as the two-year extension they just gave linebacker Jahlani Tavai.
The bigger moves for the Patriots are likely to come in 2023, when they are projected to have the fourth-most cap space in the NFL. That could include them possibly going after marquee players like Beckham, who could come on a discount.
For now, the team will do whatever they can to win with the current roster intact, while simultaneously doing some in-house maintenance along the way.
Judon’s restructured contract helps them do exactly that.