Matthew Judon is not interested in playing the bad guy.
The eight-year NFL veteran, known for his playful social media presence, recently posted some cryptic messages that sparked speculation about his future with the Patriots.
However, on Saturday, he squashed these rumors via X.
“Before yall get on my ass I didn’t say that. At all don’t let them make me the villain,” he wrote.
Judon’s social media update appeared to directly dispute a report from Patriots insider Greg Bedard on his “Greg Bedard Patriots Podcast,” which aired Saturday morning.
“What I know is he may be playing nice publicly. And he has, he said all the right things. You wanna believe him, take him at his word? Go right ahead, I’m not going to stop you,” Bedard said.
“But what I can tell you is from the people that I’ve talked to, he is not going to play under his current contract. At least for the Patriots. I can’t talk about any place else. That’s my understanding. I don’t know exactly what’s been communicated to the team, but that’s my understanding.”
Judon, 31, is in the final year of his four-year, $54.5 million contract with New England.
Last year, he renegotiated the deal he initially signed with the franchise in 2021, going from $2 million to $14 million guaranteed.
Judon is currently guaranteed $6.5 million for this season.
While Judon suffered a bicep injury last season and only appeared in four games, the linebacker has totaled 32 sacks, 133 combined tackles and 49 assists across his three seasons with New England.
A fan expressed concern last week that the team’s defense would struggle without Judon, advocating for a contract extension. Judon replied, “Ion think that’s about to happen.”
He then posted a GIF featuring cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants with the caption, “Ight imma head out.”
It’s clear the four-time Pro Bowl linebacker, who is slated to become a free agent after the 2024 season, would ideally like to establish a new deal before the season kicks off.
The Patriots, who are starting a post-Bill Belichick transition period, are trying to bounce back after a 4-13 season that saw them finish last in the AFC East.
The Patriots begin training camp on July 24 and whether or not Judon shows up will be a strong indicator of his level of discontent.
New England kicks off preseason against the Panthers on Aug. 8 and open the regular season on the road against the Bengals on Sept. 8.