The Baltimore Ravens got the most out of Matt Judon in a season where they needed a pass rusher on the edge. This offseason, Baltimore will look to gauge Judon's market value.
Judon is expected to draw offseason trade interest from the Ravens, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, which isn't surprising given Ravens head coach John Harbaugh's comments on the difficulty on re-signing the 27-year-old pass rusher.
"Very much and pretty hard, you know? But we're going to try," Harbaugh said earlier this month. "We're going to try to get as many of these guys re-signed as we can. Matt is probably right at the top of the list, for sure. ... Our goal will be to have Matt back."
Judon had a career year in a season the Ravens needed him to replace Za'Darius Smith and Terrell Suggs, both of whom departed in free agency. Judon had 54 tackles, 9.5 sacks, 33 quarterback hits and four forced fumbles while starting all 16 games for Baltimore. He finished with 31 pressures with 17 quarterback knockdowns en route to a Pro Bowl season.
Judon is scheduled to hit the free agent market this offseason if the Ravens can't reach a deal with him. Baltimore could place the franchise tag on Judon, but the price teams will pay for pass rushers may not make keeping Judon feasible.
The Kansas City Chiefs traded a 2019 first and third round pick for defensive end Frank Clark and a 2019 third round pick last offseason, which also included a 2020 second round pick. The San Francisco 49ers traded a second round pick for defensive end Dee Ford last year. Both Ford and Clark signed huge deals with their new teams: Ford five years, $87.5 million and Clark five years, $105.5 million ($63.5 million guaranteed).
Over the Cap has Baltimore with around $28.7 million in effective cap space, which also will make it difficult to keep Judon. With what Baltimore can receive for a pass rusher set to enter his prime, the Ravens will keep all options option regarding Judon.
