Patriots find trade partner for Davon Godchaux
The New England Patriots and defensive tackle Davon Godchaux have arrived at a conclusion.
According to Ian Rapoport, the Patriots are trading Godchaux to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for a seventh-round draft pick. This brings to an end four solid, dependable seasons for Godchaux in New England, where he played all 68 possible games, and started 67 of them, primarily as a nose tackle.
Moving on from Godchaux signifies that the Patriots and new head coach Mike Vrabel intend to overhaul the defensive line in the coming weeks. They’ve been linked to a number of impending defensive free agents, most notably Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams, and the team is reportedly concerned about the future of Christian Barmore.
According to Over The Cap, trading Godchaux creates an additional $706,666 in cap space for the Patriots. Due to the “top-51 rule,” the 52nd player on their cap – per Spotrac, that’s running back Terrell Jennings – takes Godchaux’s place. The Pats headed into free agency with the league’s most cap space at $127.7 million, prior to signing linebacker Harold Landry and re-signing tight end Austin Hooper.
Either way, Godchaux was not part of Vrabel’s future plans for the Patriots. So, he and Godchaux granted him permission to seek a trade, and they ultimately found a willing partner in the Saints. Godchaux, a native of Plaquemine, Louisiana and former LSU player, lands in back near his hometown.
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Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
