In a recent interview, ex-Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon said he believes the team had to trade him, and there was a “disconnect” between the two sides before he was dealt to Atlanta.

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Judon, who spoke Sunday with NBC Sports Boston, said he was upset he never met with front-office leaders during his contract dispute.

“I feel like (they) just never sat down and really came to the table with me,” Judon said. “So I think that’s the biggest point. … It was just always through text messages or phone calls. We just never sat down and actually talked about it. I think that was the biggest disconnect.”

The 32-year-old, whom the Patriots swapped for a third-round pick last week, said he relayed requests to his agent. According to reports, the Patriots and Judon never came close in negotiations, as he voiced displeasure over his non-guaranteed $6.5 million base salary. Judon was demonstrative at times in training camp, leaving one practice before returning to confront executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf on the field, missing another workout and expressing his discontent multiple times to the media.

Judon, however, said he doesn’t hold it against the team for trading him. Reportedly, Judon was allowed to choose his destination, with the Bears and Falcons both offering third-round picks in trade talks.

“It was tough, but it was something that I think the organization needed to do,” Judon said of the deal. “It’s a business decision. I told y’all, man, I love the game. It’s just the business of it, it is what it is. And sometimes it’s tough and sometimes it’s not what you want or expect.”

The Patriots faced a conundrum with Judon in part because of a contract dispute the two sides resolved last summer. As Judon conducted a hold-in, after two Pro Bowl seasons where he racked up 28 sacks over 34 regular-season games in New England, the Patriots agreed to move up some of his 2024 base salary into the 2023 season. That restructure left Judon woefully underpaid this year, the last on his contract, and a torn bicep injury suffered last October further complicated negotiations.

Judon also expressed well wishes to the organization and to Patriots fans.

“Through thick and thin, I was really embraced in the community and embraced by the community,” he said, “and I appreciate it.”