Pats' Judon exchanges words with Mayo, skips practice amid contract dispute

The New England Patriots had their first practice of training camp with full pads Monday, but a player who wasn't on the field ended up as one of the team's main storylines of the day.

Four-time Pro Bowl pass-rusher Matthew Judon didn't participate in Monday's practice as he looks for a new contract with just one season left on his current deal. The 31-year-old - who played only four games in 2023 due to injury - seemingly had animated talks with head coach Jerod Mayo and team executives Eliot Wolf and Matt Groh.

Cameras showed Judon exchanging words with Mayo before exiting the field.

The veteran defender then walked back onto the field and had an animated talk with Wolf - the team's executive vice president of player personnel - and Groh, who is the Patriots' director of player personnel, notes Phil Perry of NBCS Boston.

Judon was a full participant at practice prior to this week. However, he decided to sit out Monday because the two sides remain far apart in contract negotiations, sources told Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal.

In a recent episode of the "Shut Up Marc" podcast, Judon addressed his situation, saying that he wrote his own contract proposal to the Patriots but the club hasn't responded to it yet.

"I don't want to be the villain. I don't want to be the bad guy, but ... we got the most cap (space) in the league right now," he also said.

Judon has a salary-cap number of $14.7 million in 2024, but his deal doesn't have any guaranteed money this year. The former fifth-round pick originally signed a four-year, $56-million contract with the Patriots in 2021. He's racked up 32 sacks in 38 appearances with the team.