Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon works out Thursday during training camp in Foxborough, Mass. Judon wants a new contract and voiced his displeasure on Monday. Charles Krupa/Associated Press

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — One day after Matthew Judon got in the ear of the Patriots’ braintrust, throwing a very public tantrum on the field, the team’s star edge rusher was a no-show at Tuesday’s practice.

Was he told to stay away from practice after presumably airing his contract grievance to Coach Jerod Mayo, director of scouting Eliot Wolf and director of player personnel Matt Groh? Are the Patriots working on a trade to move away from the disgruntled star? Will that come to pass by day’s end, or week’s end?

All of the above are certainly possibilities.

Judon has pushed the envelope. His petulant behavior Monday challenged Mayo’s authority, and took on top executives Wolf and Groh.

After that very public display and spectacle, it’s going to come down to who blinks first – the player, or the Patriots’ rookie coach and new regime.

Judon is testing Mayo & Co. How the braintrust handles being put into a corner by a star player will go a long way toward the type of culture Mayo wants to build. Because right now, everyone is watching how this saga plays out.

One NFL team executive, who has paid attention to the goings on from afar, sees the Patriots in a bit of a pickle, calling it a “tricky situation.”

Judon is going to be 32 on Aug. 15, and is coming off an injury that ended his 2023 season after four games. That weighs against the player.

On the flipside, he’s the team’s best pass rusher, and arguably its best player. And with Christian Barmore out indefinitely with blood clots, the Patriots will be handcuffed even more when it comes to pressuring the quarterback if they lose both of them.

Does that mean Judon’s importance should influence their next move?

The Patriots are in a rebuilding year with a new head coach. They have different people now with clout in the front office.

So this situation holds added significance.

Do they cave in, and sweeten Judon’s deal trying to appease him? Or, at the very least, bump up and guarantee the final year of the deal?

Should they stand pat, and hope an angry Judon doesn’t disrupt the locker room?

Or, do they take a stand, and trade him?

The risk with the latter, is sending a message a player can shoot his way out of town.

“I wouldn’t pay him now because it sets a bad precedent that if you act out like that, then the team will just give in,” the executive said via text Monday night.

It’s hard to argue with that assessment. Judon is stewing, but the Patriots need to draw a line in the sand.

In terms of a trade, the timing isn’t right for the Patriots to land much in return, but it is what it is. They have to get what they can get, and hope they can find a team that’s a pass rusher away, or loses a pass rusher during camp or the preseason.

That team would also need to fix Judon’s deal before making a trade, or else, he might sit out there as well.

What’s the best to hope for?

“It depends if a team is desperate at the end of camp for a pass rusher because of injuries too,” the executive said. “My guess would be a fifth-round value or some sort of mid round swap.”

That’s not much. But Judon, who claimed last week he wanted to remain a Patriot and would honor his current deal, has pretty much left the Patriots with no choice.

He doesn’t want to be a villain, but that’s exactly what he’s become.

The fact he was a no-show Tuesday means the situation hasn’t resolved. It’s also possible he’s played his last down as a Patriot, and a decision has already been made.

Davon Godchaux, who is also unhappy about his contract, has been an active participant the past two padded practices. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, also met with the Patriots on the field Monday both during and after practice. There didn’t appear to be as much rancor with this session.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who came out to watch practice, even chatted briefly with Godchaux, much like he did with Judon last week.

What’s the end game?

Let’s just say how both of these situations play out will speak volumes about where the post-Bill Belichick regime is headed.