Why the NY Jets are the real winners of the Matthew Judon trade

As the NY Jets remain embroiled in an increasingly tense situation regarding star pass rusher Haason Reddick, one of the team's biggest rivals may have just provided a little unintentional help to the organization.

The New England Patriots have reportedly agreed to a trade that will send standout edge rusher Matthew Judon to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a third-round pick in 2025.

Not only does this trade make the Jets' acquisition of Reddick look even better, but it also could serve to provide extra leverage to the organization. That's because, much like with Reddick, the Falcons reportedly have not agreed to an extension with Judon just yet

ESPN's Dan Graziano reported Wednesday evening that the Falcons "do not have a new contract in place for Judon as part of the trade." This is despite Judon explicitly requesting an extension from the Patriots, leading to his departure. Sound familiar?

Matthew Judon trade could help the NY Jets with the Haason Reddick situation

The Jets already have the majority of the leverage in the Reddick situation. While the team does need Reddick to fulfill their Super Bowl aspirations to an extent, it's impossible to deny that Reddick needs the Jets more.

The soon-to-be 30-year-old doesn't have the option to simply sit out for the entire 2024 season. If he were to do that, the Jets would retain his rights and he would remain under contract through 2025. He could miss some regular-season games, but that wouldn't really help elevate his value either.

On top of that, Reddick's trade request is an empty threat. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Monday that no team was willing to trade for Reddick and give him the long-term extension he was looking for back in April when the Jets initially acquired him.

Unless that has changed for whatever reason, the market isn't there for him. Reddick's trade request is a leverage play — a last-ditch effort to try and force the Jets' hand. It's not going to work.

That's especially true after a player with a similar value and in nearly the exact same situation was just traded without an extension in place. It's possible the Falcons will reach an extension with Judon before the start of the regular season, but you have to assume it will be after he shows up for training camp.

Judon isn't going to hold out — at least there's been no indication he would. That only serves to benefit the Jets, who can easily point to the Judon situation and compare it to their current ordeal with Reddick.

The other thing to consider is that the Jets look increasingly competent following this trade. The Jets were able to land Reddick — a younger, healthier, and indisputably better player than Judon — for a conditional third-round pick two years in the future this past April.

The Falcons reportedly gave up a third-round pick in this upcoming draft for a player who is two years older, played just four games last season, and has 12.5 fewer sacks over the last four years. That makes the value of the Reddick trade look excellent for the Jets.

Ultimately, the Jets already had the leverage in the Reddick situation and the value of the initial trade already looked good. The Judon trade just confirms both notions. And, of course, it's always nice when a division rival trades away a great player. The Jets are the real winners of this trade.

More NY Jets news and analysis: