The NFL offseason has reached chaos mode, and on Monday morning, the New Orleans Saints finally got involved. It was reported the Saints have agreed with the New England Patriots on a trade that will send veteran defensive tackle Davon Godchaux to New Orleans in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round pick.
Godchaux is a Louisiana native, and played for LSU in college, so he joins the list of hometown players that have played for the Saints. On the surface, this may seem like just a cool storybook move for the defensive tackle, but it has the chance to be a really good trade for New Orleans.
Saints trade for Davon Godchaux
For starters, New Orleans only gave up a future seventh-round pick; it’s always good when you can pull off a trade for a package like that. Beyond that, Godchaux addresses one of the Saints’ top needs. Going into the offseason, addressing the defensive line, especially the interior, was a top priority for New Orleans.
In 2024, the Saints were terrible against the run, giving up 141.4 rushing yards a game. The only team who had a worse mark was the Carolina Panthers. In order to win in this league, a team has to be able to stop the run; that all starts up front with the defensive line.
Godchaux, who’ll be entering his ninth year in the league next season, knows all about that. Coming off of four years with the Patriots, he has been a part of some really good defenses. Last season was rough all around for New England, but in 2023, the Pats gave up just 93.2 rushing yards a game (4th), and in 2022, the Patriots ranked sixth, allowing only 105.5 yards a game. That all came with Godchaux starting every single game at defensive tackle.
He’ll now try to do the same in New Orleans, alongside an improving Bryan Bresee. Godchaux has two years left on his contract, so he’ll get to enjoy his time back in Louisiana as the Saints try to turn things around.