New England Patriots Restructure Edge Rusher's Contract

The New England Patriots will have a little more cap space to play with for the closing stretch of the regular season. ESPN's Field Yates reports the team restructured the contract of edge rusher Matthew Judon, freeing up over $2 million on the salary cap.

The Patriots restructured the contract of OLB Matthew Judon, creating $2,214,445 in 2022 salary cap space, per source.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) December 1, 2022

A restructure typically constitutes transforming salary into a signing bonus, therefore spreading the money into future years. Judon leads the NFL with his 13.0 sacks this season, so if anyone deserves a payout, it's him.

The Patriots were toward the bottom of the league in available cap space before the transaction, so they're likely only clearing room to breathe in case of injuries or anything else that may necessitate minor transactions. According to ovethecap.com, the move pushes the team over $3 million in available funds.

Judon is signed to the Patriots through the 2024 season. He has two years remaining on the four-year, $54.5 million deal he signed in 2021 with cap hits of $17.6 million in 2023 and $16.1 million in 2024 remaining.