The Patriots traded outside linebacker Matthew Judon to Atlanta for a 2025 third-round draft pick, according to multiple reports.

Judon and the Patriots had been embroiled in a contract dispute that resulted in the four-time Pro Bowler sitting out two of the team’s 14 training camp practices to date. Judon is in the final year of a recently restructured contract that left him with a non-guaranteed $6.5 million base salary this season, well under market for a player of his caliber.

The Patriots agreed to new terms with Judon during a separate hold-in last summer, when the team took money he was scheduled to make in 2024 and moved it up to the 2023 season. Since then, under Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf, the front office has signed several of Judon’s teammates to extensions, something he noted in press conferences during training camp.

The 31-year-old had been outspoken about his desire for a new deal and started practice by sitting on a flipped-over trash can on July 29, then left and later returned to confront Wolf and director of player personnel Matt Groh on the field. Judon did not practice the following day, when teammates said he wasn’t in the building.

Judon most recently addressed his contract situation after one practice last week saying, among other things: “You gotta talk to (the front office), man. Like I said before, I would pay myself, and we would never talk about it. It’s not up to me. …I told y’all I want to stay here for the rest of my career. So, obviously that would equal more (money). I only got one year left, so with more years would come more money.

“That’s usually how contracts work. It’s not up to me, y’all. They come out here every day. You just don’t ask them questions.”

Without Judon, the Patriots are moving ahead with Keion White, Deatrich Wise, Anfernee Jennings, Joshua Uche, Oshane Ximines, William Bradley-King and Jotham Russell at defensive end/outside linebacker. Based on his recent practices, White appears primed for a leap in his second year, while Ximines has made a surprise push for a roster spot and practiced with the starting defense. However, in 16 games last season as a rookie, White recorded just one sack and five QB hits, while Ximines has 6.5 career sacks in five NFL seasons.

By trading Judon, the Patriots have amplified questions about their pass rush, just two and a half weeks after losing their second-best pass rusher, defensive tackle Christian Barmore, indefinitely to blood clots. Judon was also arguably their best player, having made two Pro Bowls and amassed 32 sacks in 38 regular-season games for the Patriots. He reset his single-season career high in sacks with 12.5 in 2021 and 15.5 in 2022, then played in just four games last season when he tore his biceps during an Oct. 1 loss at Dallas.

He originally signed as a big-ticket free agent in 2021, inking a four-year, $54.5 million contract. Judon became a leader in the locker room, but a disgruntled presence as of late.

Patriots Coach Jerod Mayo addressed Judon’s situation before Tuesday’s joint practice against the Eagles, noting Judon had continued to practice and support his teammates after his blowup on July 29, including during the team’s preseason opener against Carolina.

“To me, it’s not everything that happened over the last week or two, it’s one day,” Mayo said. “I think we all, you know, have a bad day every once in a while. He was dialed in, he was excited for the players, and he was coaching them up over on the sideline. No complaints from me.”

At the outset of training camp, Mayo told reporters a successful season for the Patriots would be defined by how the team identified and developed foundational pieces for their ongoing rebuild.

“A successful season, in my eyes, is really about the foundation. Have we put together a good foundation of a combination of young and older players to really start competing?” Mayo said on July 23. “It would be great to get up here and say we’re going to win a Super Bowl, but once again, it’s about the process. I tell the guys all the time, it’s about process and progress and moving forward.”

By trading Judon, the Patriots have signaled they did not view him as not a piece of their future foundation, at least at the price he was commanding. It’s unclear how far apart the two sides were in negotiations. Judon reportedly received a contract offer from the team this summer and said on a podcast last month he had extended his own proposal to the front office.