The New England Patriots traded defensive tackle Davon Godchaux to the New Orleans Saints on Monday, receiving a seventh-round draft pick in return.
This was really more of a salary dump for the Patriots than anything else, as Godchaux has two years remaining on his deal with cap hits of $5 million and $8.5 million, respectively.
Honestly, the fact that New England was able to get anything in return for Godchaux is impressive given the circumstances.
ESPN’s Seth Walder graded the trade for both sides, and while he hated the deal for the Saints, he viewed it fairly favorable for the Pats, giving them a “B” grade.
“The Patriots presumably felt like they wanted to go in a different direction at nose tackle and decided to take whatever they could get for him,” Walder wrote. “Perhaps their view matched run stop win rate trends, or perhaps they simply want to get younger.”
Godchaux played in every game this past season, registering 67 tackles. He posted a 51.6 overall grade at Pro Football Focus, which certainly isn’t very appealing.
The 30-year-old initially joined the Patriots back in 2021 and had a decent debut campaign in New England, but he didn’t make a huge impact throughout the remainder of his tenure with the club.
Godchaux spent the first four years of his career with the Miami Dolphins.
As Walder noted, getting younger is obviously a big thing for the Pats, as they are a rebuilding squad, and Godchaux no longer fitted their timeline.
The Patriots landed fellow defensive tackle Milton Williams on a massive deal in free agency, and they may also look to beef up their defensive line through the NFL Draft, as well.
New England entered the offseason with more cap room than any other team in the league, and it certainly displayed that on Monday.