Bears general manager Ryan Poles revealed some new details about the front office's attempt to trade for Matthew Judion on the newly released episode of their "Hard Knocks" television series.
The Bears offered the Patriots their 2025 third-round pick in exchange for Judon. But they also held a second contingency with Judon and his contract.
"Our language is basically saying if the contract is not signed, he reverts back to New England," Poles said on the show.
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MORE: Ryan Poles addresses Bears' attempt to trade for Matthew Judon
Judon has one more season left on his four-year contract that's slated to earn him $6.5 million. But after combining for 28 sacks between 2021 and 2022, he went into this offseason looking for a new deal. The Patriots' reluctance motivated him to sit out of training camp, seeking a deal or a trade.
The Bears were finalists in the sweepstakes for the edge rusher. But as Poles refers to above, they weren't willing to shake hands unless Judon agreed to sign an extension with Chicago. The details of those offers were not mentioned on the show, nor have they been reported elsewhere.
In the end, the Patriots opted for the Falcons' 2025 third-round pick, sending Judon to Atlanta. It's uncertain whether they were willing to trade him to the Bears and Poles declined because Judon refused to sign an extension. For what it's worth, Judon hasn't signed anything with the Falcons since being traded there, either.
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But outside of the contract specifics, viewers of the latest "Hard Knocks" episode got to see how Poles assessed Judon's value. It's interesting to see how Poles pitched Judon to CEO Kevin Warren on the show.
"He only played four games he had a bicep (tear)," Poles said. "From an analytics standpoint, kind of where he's at just wins added he's 50th among defensive ends. To put it in perspective, [Montez] Sweat's 14th. We believe he would help us get better. We think having the bicep, rather than a lower-body injury, he still would play to the same intensity and explosion as he did before. It does come with risk, though, at 3 (years old)."
It's a curious point to hear the Bears' belief in Judon's athletic ability despite missing the majority of the 2023 season with a bicep tear. Because he didn't injure his lower body, the Bears believed Judon was capable of bringing similar production to his 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Alas, the Bears fell short in bringing in another elite edge rusher opposite Sweat. Considering the Bears have ranked last and second-to-last in team sacks over the past two seasons, respectively, the gap for another effective pass rusher is glaring.
To their credit, the Bears did send a fourth-round pick to the Bills during the 2024 NFL Draft to acquire Austin Booker in the fifth round. Booker has executed a strong preseason, potentially giving him the chance to earn a strong role in the defensive line's rotation.
But knowing the Bears can make an upgrade on the line, Poles said the team will continue to assess their roster and make the necessary adjustments.
"We're always looking across the league to find opportunities to make our team better," Poles said on the FOX 32 broadcast during their most recent preseason game. "Obviously, they got to make sense all the way around. When those doors open, we're gonna go through them and have those conversations. But I'll tell you this, I've been really excited about [Austin] Booker's play. Dominique Robinson has started to develop.
"We got some good competition, and I think either way, we're going to be all right. But again, as a front office, we're going to just continue to look for those opportunities."