Getty Image / James Gilbert
NFL teams will often give up multiple first-rounds picks to move up for a quarterback in the NFL Draft that isn’t a sure thing. But, when it comes to trading for an established veteran in their prime, the value is much lower.
Former NFL center, Super Bowl champion, and current Pat McAfee panelist AQ Shipley doesn’t get this dynamic at all, and he took to Twitter to air out his thoughts on the matter on Wednesday.
The background to this is a trade agreed to on Wednesday that will send New England Patriots star edge rusher Matthew Judon to the Atlanta Falcons for just a third-round pick.
Judon has turned into a star since joining the Patriots after starting his career in Baltimore. He has 32 sacks in 38 career regular season games with the Patriots, one of the highest rates of any player the last three seasons. He only played in four games last year due to a bicep tear, but he averaged a sack per game in those four. An edge rusher like that going into his age 32 season is a player that can really help a team.
But, he wanted a big new contract, and it didn’t make sense for a rebuilding team like the Patriots to pay a guy who would be 35 or 36 at the end of the deal. Meanwhile, the Falcons think they can contend in the NFC now after signing Kirk Cousins, so giving up a draft pick for Judon at a position of need makes sense.
But, AQ Shipley doesn’t get why the price for veterans that are top players in the league is so consistently low.
🚨 🚨 🚨
Sources: The #Patriots are trading pass-rusher Matthew Judon to the #Falcons, landing Atlanta a standout on defense. It’s a third-rounder going back.
At long last, New England resolves its situation with Judon with a trade. pic.twitter.com/VbehQTeu1X
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 14, 2024
He’s got a point here in the sense that the odds that the Patriots draft a player better than Matthew Judon with a 3rd-rounder is pretty slim. Most first-round picks won’t have the kind of career Matthew Judon has had.
But, that’s not the only variable, and the biggest assets in the game are cheap, controllable players on their rookie deal. If you can get half of the production of Matthew Judon at 10% of the cost, that’s good business and saves you money elsewhere.
Ultimately, it creates a market where teams who want to compete right now can get really good veterans for a mid-round pick while rebuilding teams can easily shed cap space and get some draft assets.
Even if AQ Shipley doesn’t want to hear it, that’s just how the business of the NFL works.