Bears general manager Ryan Poles revealed some new details about management’s attempts to trade Matthew Judion in the newly released episode of the television series “Hard Knocks.”

The Bears offered the Patriots their 2025 third-round pick in exchange for Judon. But they also had a second option with Judon and his contract.

“Our wording essentially says if the contract is not signed, he will return to New England,” Poles said on the show.

MORE: Ryan Poles talks about the Bears’ attempt to trade Matthew Judon

Judon has one season left on his four-year, $6.5 million contract, but after totaling 28 sacks between 2021 and 2022, he was looking for a new deal this offseason. The Patriots’ reluctance prompted him to sit out training camp and seek a contract or trade.

The Bears were finalists in the race for the edge rusher, but as Poles mentioned above, they weren’t willing to make a deal unless Judon agreed to a contract extension with Chicago. The details of those offers weren’t mentioned on the broadcast and haven’t been reported elsewhere.

In the end, the Patriots chose the Falcons’ 2025 third-round pick and sent Judon to Atlanta. It’s uncertain whether they were willing to trade him to the Bears, and Poles declined because Judon refused to sign a contract extension. Incidentally, Judon hasn’t signed anything with the Falcons since being traded there.

But contract details aside, viewers of the latest episode of Hard Knocks got to see how Poles assessed Judon’s value. It’s interesting to see Poles pitch Judon to CEO Kevin Warren on the show.

“He only played four games, he had a torn bicep,” Poles said. “From an analytical standpoint, if you add up his wins, he’s 50th among defensive ends. To put it in perspective, (Montez) Sweat is 14th. We think he would help us get better. We think with the biceps and not a lower-body injury, he would still play with the same intensity and explosion that he did before. But at 3 (years old), that comes with risks.”

It’s curious that the Bears believe in Judon’s athletic ability despite him missing most of the 2023 season with a torn bicep. Since he didn’t injure his lower body, the Bears believed Judon was capable of producing a similar performance in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Unfortunately, the Bears have failed to sign another elite edge rusher to complement Sweat. Considering the Bears have finished last and second to last in team sacks each of the last two seasons, the gap for another effective pass rusher is glaring.

To their credit, the Bears sent a fourth-round pick to the Bills in the 2024 NFL Draft to draft fifth-round prospect Austin Booker. Booker had a strong preseason, potentially giving him a chance to carve out a strong role in the defensive line rotation.

However, knowing the Bears can add to the mix in that regard, Poles said the team will continue to evaluate its roster and make the necessary adjustments.

“We’re always looking around the league for ways to improve our team,” Poles said on the FOX 32 broadcast during their final preseason game. “Obviously, they have to make sense in every way. As those doors open, we’ll go through them and have those conversations. But I can tell you one thing: I’ve been really excited about (Austin) Booker’s play. Dominique Robinson has started to develop.”

“We have some good competition and I think we’ll be fine either way. But as a front office, we’ll just continue to look for opportunities like that.”

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