Matthew Judon made a big mistake choosing the Falcons over Bears

By now, most Chicago Bears fans know about the trade that sent pass rusher Matthew Judon to the Atlanta Falcons last week.

The New England Patriots took the Falcons' offer of a third-round pick over the Bears' same offer, and at first, it sounded like that was New England's preference.

However, news broke over the weekend that it was Judon who chose to go to the Falcons over the Bears, so the Patriots went that route. Both the Falcons and Bears are in a position to improve in 2024, and on the surface, it could look like the veteran pass rusher made the right call.

After all, Kirk Cousins has been a very good quarterback for years, and the Falcons have weapons. Not to mention, the defense has some excellent players as well. It's a pretty well-rounded roster.

But, did Judon make the right decision? If you're asking us, of course he didn't. Judon could have been the missing piece to this Bears team that is pretty well set everywhere else. He could have been part of, potentially, the most buzz-worthy team of 2024 thanks to Caleb Williams.

Instead, he went with the Falcons who will probably see their demise come from one position and one position only.

Matthew Judon chose the team with a lower ceiling in this trade

The Falcons may have the easiest strength of schedule going into this season, in addition to a pretty well-rounded roster, but Atlanta's ceiling is still that of mediocrity when it counts most. Why?

The quarterback position.

After the Falcons signed Kirk Cousins earlier in free agency, they of course would go on to draft Michael Penix Jr. in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. This led the entire football world to question just what exactly that Falcons were doing.

Since then, Cousins has handled the situation well, to no one's surprise. He's a consummate professional. However, if we've learned one thing about Cousins over the years, it's the fact that he crumbles under pressure.

We know, by now, about Cousins' poor performances in prime time games. So, the Falcons can get ready for some inconsistencies in the bigger games. But, if the Falcons do end up winning a fairly-winnable division in the NFC South, they're not going very far in the postseason, so long as Cousins is under center.

Cousins is 1-4 in the postseason over his career, in addition to struggling in prime time games (12-20 record).

In the majority of games, he's a phenomenal regular season quarterback. But when the lights come on and the stage is as big as it's ever been, he folds.

So, Judon might have a blast during the regular season and go on to help the Falcons finish as the division champs. But, if he's looking for more than that, he chose the wrong team.

Now, am I saying the Bears have a higher ceiling than the Falcons?

You bet I am.

Look at the season C.J. Stroud had last year, as a rookie. He led the Texans to the divisional round after an impressive Wild Card victory. The league hardly had any film on him, making him somewhat of a mystery at times.

The same goes for Williams. Already, he's been compared to the likes of Patrick Mahomes based on a couple of preseason performances. People can see the raw skills on display. Williams has "it," and Cousins does not.

It might sound a bit ludicrous, but the Bears have a higher ceiling than the Falcons, behind Williams. We know what Cousins is, and he's a very good quarterback that simply can't win when it counts.

What about Williams? Again, I'd venture to say he's got a higher ceiling than Cousins, and his career has just begun. Williams has all the weapons and a strong defense that finished the season on a tear and is looking like a top-5 unit, and it's only the man's rookie year. He's set up for success and will only get better as time goes on.

Judon went with a safe bet, not the higher ceiling.