Report: Patriots pushing to sign Ravens free agent Matt Judon

The biggest Ravens free agent, Matt Judon, is apparently being pursued by the New England Patriots, according to NFL.com Insider Ian Rapoport.

Just last year, the Baltimore Ravens and Judon’s camp could not come to a deal and eventually forced the team to use the franchise tag on the pass rusher, netting him $16.8 million. Many questioned if this was the right move, as Judon had yet to crack double digits in sacks.

In 2020, Judon regressed in many pass rush categories. He dropped from 9.5 sacks in 2019 to 6.0. His QB Hits sunk from 33 to 21, and his tackles for loss fell from 14 to 9. Many expected them to rise, seeing as Baltimore added in multiple big-name free agents, including Calais Campbell, Derek Wolfe and a mid-season trade netted Baltimore OLB Yannick Ngakoue. In the end, however, his numbers were not what many hoped for.

Now, the Patriots look to land the Ravens’ No. 1 pass rusher, who ranked No. 26 in team sacks last season (24 sacks). Their free agency has been rather expensive, as of this article they’ve landed two big-name free agents between TE Jonnu Smith and DT Davon Godchaux.