Asante Samuel Shades Bill Belichick After Matthew Judon Patriots Contract Rumors

The animosity between former All-Pro cornerback Asante Samuel and New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick continued Friday.

Though it does seem to be one-sided.

Amid reports that New England's star pass rusher Matthew Judon wants to have "his contract adjusted," Samuel—who played under Belichick for five seasons in the mid-2000s—was quick to take a shot at his former coach's negotiation tactics.

Judon, however, set the record straight with Samuel, and expressed his affection for the legendary head coach, saying no amount of money could come between them.

Coming off his second season with the Patriots, Judon still has two years remaining on the four-year, $56 million deal he signed with the organization in 2021. His $13.6 million salary is below average for a player of his caliber.

He's currently the 20th highest-paid edge rusher in the league despite making four consecutive Pro Bowls, ranking behind similar level players like Maxx Crosby, Bradley Chubb, Von Miller and Cameron Jordan, among several others, per Over the Cap.

T.J. Watt is earning about $28 million per season, the most of anyone at the position.

This isn't the first time Samuel has taken a shot at Belichick.

Most recently, he scoffed at the idea of the Patriots' head man being considered the greatest coach in NFL history.

"Absolutely not," Samuel said during an appearance on the All Things Covered podcast. "Are you crazy? Look at [Belichick's] record without Tom [Brady]. You've got to win without Tom. One thing I learned about being great is you got to be great in different situations. It was all Tom. I was there. I saw it. It was Tom. Everybody knows it."

While he does have a point—Belichick hasn't won a playoff game since Brady left New England—Samuel also took to Twitter to warn Lamar Jackson about joining the organization when there were rumors connecting the former MVP with the Patriots earlier in the offseason.

It's believed that a big part of Samuel's beef with Belichick dates back to the 2007 season when the organization placed the franchise tag on him, leading to a holdout throughout most of the preseason.

Samuel eventually joined the team for the start of the regular season while playing under the tag, but he was not brought back the following year.