By Ross Jackson
NEW ORLEANS — Building the trenches was always going to be the focus of this free agency period for the New Orleans Saints and the team wasted no time getting started.
Per NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, the Saints have completed a trade with the New England Patriots to bring defensive tackle Davon Godchaux back to his home state.
Sources: The #Patriots are trading DT Davon Godchaux, a starter for four seasons, to the #Saints in exchange for a 7th round draft pick.
Godchaux, a Plaquemine, La. native & LSU product, goes home. Kellen Moore starts to build the way Philly did — thru the trenches. pic.twitter.com/RTdTFNuDku
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 10, 2025
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the trade compensation is a 2026 seventh-round draft pick.
Trade: the New England Patriots have agreed to send DT Davon Godchaux to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round pick, sources tell ESPN. Godchaux attended high school in Plaquemine, La., before playing at LSU. He now returns to Louisiana once the trade can be… pic.twitter.com/cn4Kfqv1sG
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 10, 2025
The trade cannot be processed until the new league year begins. Which is the case for all trades at this time.
Godchaux, 30, is a 6-foot-3, 330-pound defensive tackle with eight years of NFL experience. Using a future seventh-round pick to nab someone with that much experience is a wise usage of Day Three draft capital rather than trying to draft and develop a seventh-round prospect next year.
Godchaux is the perfect player to fit the Saints new 3-4 mold when they need a nose tackle to clog up the middle of the line. The big- bodied defensive lineman can also be relied upon as a 0/1-tech in even fronts as well.
The former LSU Tiger has appeared in 17 games for four consecutive seasons as a starter with the Patriots and will now return home to likely claim a starting role on the Saints’ defensive line, which is expected to undergo a hefty amount of change this offseason.
Per Next Gen Stats, the interior defender made 94.4% of his tackle attempts, which ranked No. 2 among qualifying defensive tackles. The Saints are getting a solid run plugger that has veteran experience and will be a leader on the line.
Davon Godchaux was underrated signing for the #Patriots in 2021 and he has been an elite run defender.
Last season Godchaux made 94.4% of his tackle opportunities (2nd-highest among all NFL DTs), per Next Gen Stats.
Due to the new scheme, New England’s moving on.
7 months ago: https://t.co/2j1CRtSsOA pic.twitter.com/zToDBWlN61
— Carlos A. Lopez (@LosTalksPats) February 26, 2025
With the trade, New Orleans inherits Godchaux’s contract which ties him to the team through 2026. It is expected that the contract will be redone Godchaux’s arrival in New Orleans, per NFL Insider Josina Anderson per NFL Insider Josina Anderson.
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