Chicago Bears predicted to sign Falcons' $56 million pass rusher with 72 sacks to 'disrupt' backfields

Pass-rushing veteran Matthew Judon has yet to sign with a team for the 2025 season. Judon was traded to the Atlanta Falcons last season but didn’t deliver the production the team had hoped for. However, the Falcons’ pass rush as a whole was lackluster.

“The Atlanta Falcons attempted to upgrade their pass rush in 2024 by acquiring outside linebacker Matthew Judon in a trade with the New England Patriots. The team gave up a third-round pick for the veteran edge rusher, but he had minimal impact last season. The Falcons ranked 31st in the NFL with 31 defensive sacks recorded,” Falcons Wire’s Matt Urben wrote.

A return to Atlanta was still possible, but after the Falcons drafted Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr., Judon isn’t optimistic about it anymore.

“Yeah, probably,” Judon said when asked if the Falcons’ draft moves make his return unlikely. “And then they had another kid (Bralen Trice) who tore his ACL. They’ll want to let them get out there and see what they can do. Hopefully they can be great edges in this league.”

When asked if his lack of sack production was due to bad luck, Judon seemingly took a shot at Atlanta.

“H**l naw, (it wasn’t bad luck),” Judon said. “If you go look at the film, I dropped (into coverage) on 60% of the plays. It’s hard to get a pick and a sack on the same play.”

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The Chicago Bears showed interest in trading for Judon last season and could still sign him this year.

“Should the Bears acquire Judon, he isn’t likely to start or play a massive number of snaps outside of obvious and/or expected pass-rush downs. But a handful of extra backfield disruptions could prove the difference in a playoff campaign for Chicago or another season that ends after Week 18,” Heavy.com’s Max Dible wrote.

Judon is getting older, but he knows how to get to the quarterback. After a down season, the veteran will be hungry to prove he still has what it takes to put opposing QBs on the ground.