Matthew Judon takes unpromoted shot at the Ravens on Twitter

It wasn’t long ago that Matthew Judon was wreaking havoc against opposing quarterbacks with the Baltimore Ravens. Unfortunately, now the three-time Pro Bowler is taking shots at his former team on Twitter.

NFL analyst Brian Baldinger took to Twitter on Thursday to praise the Ravens for their drafting and development of pass rushers. He noted that former Ravens Judon and Za’Darius Smith were tied for the NFL lead in sacks with 8.5.

Baldinger even suggested that Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo could be the next great Ravens pass rushers. Judon, however, took the post a little differently.

In response to Baldinger’s claim that the Ravens “sure can draft elite pass rushers,” Judon replied with a contemptuous “Unfortunately they won’t pay them.”

https://twitter.com/man_dammn/status/1588243313442058240

Matthew Judon still isn’t happy the Ravens didn’t pay him

A fifth-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Judon quickly developed into an integral part of the Ravens’ defense and likely the best edge rusher on the team by the time of his departure in 2021.

In total, Judon spent five years in Baltimore with his best season coming in 2019 when he finished with a then-career-best 9.5 sacks. Since leaving the Ravens, however, Judon has taken his game to new levels.

The former Division II standout recorded a career-high 12.5 sacks in his first season with the New England Patriots last season and he’s well on his way to breaking that mark again with an NFL-leading 8.5 sacks through eight games.

Judon was a very good player in Baltimore. In New England, he’s become a superstar.

The Ravens opted to let Judon walk in free agency in 2021 while the Patriots signed him to a hefty four-year, $54 million contract. It was a contract the Ravens were never going to pay Judon, although it’s worth wondering if they would make the decision again if they had the chance.

Still, this has always been a classic Ravens roster-building strategy. They develop mid-round players, turn them into stars, and then let them walk in free agency while they recoup compensatory picks to draft future mid-round players.

This has been the Ravens way for a while now, and Judon isn’t the first — nor is he likely the last — to fall into this cycle.

Despite Judon’s success in New England, he seems to hold at least a little resentment toward his former employer for not paying him the money he believed he was owed.

Perhaps Judon is getting the last laugh with his 21 sacks in 25 career games with the Patriots at the time of writing. Or perhaps the Ravens got the last laugh when they beat Judon’s Patriots 37-26 earlier this year.

You decide.