Dolphins agree to contract with linebacker Matthew Judon after visit

Barry Jackson, Miami Herald on Aug 18, 2025

Published in Football

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MIAMI — The Dolphins are signing outside linebacker Matthew Judon after his visit to team headquarters on Monday, a league source confirmed.

Judon gives the Dolphins a fourth skilled veteran pass rusher.

The sides had not discussed a contract as of Monday morning, but a deal was reached after his visit went well later in the day.

Miami offered a one-year deal worth as much as $6 million with incentives, and Judon accepted it.

Judon, 33, has 72 career sacks, including 5.5 last season for the Atlanta Falcons, when he also had 42 tackles (including seven for loss) and an interception in 17 games and 15 starts.

Pro Football Focus rated him poorly last season, slotting him 118th of 119 qualifying outside linebackers.

Judon played only four games in 2023 due to a torn biceps.

But he played 17 games in 2021 and 2022 and again in 2024 and had 12.5, 12.5 and 5.5 sacks in those three seasons.

He spent his first five seasons with Baltimore, his next three with New England and last season with Atlanta, which acquired him from the Patriots for a third-round pick.

Judon made the Pro Bowl each season from 2019 to 2022.

His addition gives Miami a potential top-four edge rusher group of Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips, Chop Robinson and Judon. Though Phillips hasn’t practiced in a week, coach Mike McDaniel said his injury isn’t serious and that no Dolphins outside linebacker will be sidelined for any significant length of time.

Cam Goode, Grayson Murphy, Quinton Bell, Mo Kamara and Derrick McLendon are competing for one or two other outside linebacker jobs.

Earlier Monday, McDaniel said of Judon’s visit: “We are visiting for the sake of seeing if there is a situation that both parties would be able to come into an agreement of, ‘hey, this is a situation that fits.’ Visiting for visiting purposes. We will see what it leads to.”

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