The New Orleans Saints were active early Monday morning as they agreed with the New England Patriots to acquire defensive tackle Davon Godchaux. New Orleans will send a 2026 seventh-round pick in exchange for the former LSU Tiger. ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter broke the news on X.
The acquisition provides run defense support as he’ll likely be in the middle of the defensive line at Nose Tackle.
Godchaux will enter his ninth year in the league after being selected in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. Florida is where Godchaux called home for the first four years of his career as he recorded 179 tackles and three sacks in 52 games played for the Dolphins.
The Plaquemine Senior High product spent the last four years in Massachusetts as a member of the Patriots. Godchaux never missed a game for New England, leading to the 6’3″, 330-pounder securing 250 tackles and 2.5 sacks.
The 30-year-old enters the second year of his three-year contract that features a base salary of $4 million and a bonus of $485,000. In 2026, Godchaux is expected to earn $6.5 million as a base salary and $2 million as a bonus. New Orleans does have a potential out in 2026 and could save $8.5 million by cutting Godchaux.
Godchaux joins a current defensive line room of Cam Jordan, Bryan Bresee, Carl Granderson, Nathan Shepherd, Khalen Saunders, Isaiah Foskey, John Ridgeway, Khristian Boyd, Ryder Anderson, and Camron Peterson.