The New England Patriots made their first move of free agency week even before the official opening of the NFL’s legal tampering window on Monday at 12 p.m. ET. It involves defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, who has been traded to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round draft selection.
Let’s analyze what the move means for the Patriots from a big-picture perspective.
A win-win
When the Patriots first signed Godchaux as a free agent in 2021, he joined a team that has operated under the same defensive principles for two decades. Those required defensive tackles such as himself to clog lanes up front and control gaps both against the run and the pass, freeing up others to make plays in the backfield.
The scheme’s foundation did not change after the Patriots moved from Bill Belichick to Jerod Mayo in 2024. With new head coach Mike Vrabel and defensive coordinator Terrell Williams coming aboard, however, the expectation is that New England will move to a more attacking style of playing defensive line — something the big-bodied Godchaux is not particularly suited for.
As a consequence, he requested and was granted the opportunity to seek a trade. Less than two weeks after that agreement was made public, he is now on the move to New Orleans; Godchaux gets the trade he is looking for, while the Patriots manage to get some minor compensation rather than having to out-right release him.
Reset up front
Godchaux has been a mainstay along the Patriots defensive line since his arrival, playing 69 total regular season and playoff games with 68 starts. While a comparatively one-dimensional player, whose strengths lie in the run game rather than as a pass rusher, he has been a crucial part of the operation over the last four seasons.
Now, the Patriots interior defensive line is going to look quite different. Fact is, after all, that Godchaux might not remain the only departure from the group: fellow veterans Deatrich Wise Jr. and Daniel Ekuale are headed for unrestricted free agency, and no locks to return either.
Needless to say, the winds of change are blowing through the room — one that now looks as follows, per our up-to-date Patriots roster:
Interior defensive line (6): Christian Barmore (90), Keion White (99), Jeremiah Pharms Jr. (98), Jaquelin Roy (94), Eric Johnson (96), Marcus Harris (58)
Unrestricted free agents (2): DT Daniel Ekuale, DE Deatrich Wise Jr.
As things currently stand, there are major questions hanging over the Patriots interior D-line. Some will be answered over the coming hours and days, with the team expected to be a major player in free agency and at that position in particular. Others, such as Christian Barmore’s outlook after missing most of 2024 due to blood clots, remain uncertain.
Cap implications
The Patriots sending Godchaux to New Orleans removes his salaries in both 2024 and 2025 from the books, as well as any roster and workout bonuses. What does remain in New England, meanwhile, are his signing bonus prorations for those two seasons.
As a consequence, the team created only $706,666 in salary cap space this year: as broken down by cap expert Miguel Benzan, that number constitutes of his current cap number ($8.33M) minus the two signing bonus installments ($6.67M) minus the salary of his replacement on the Top 51 offseason list ($960K).
The outlook for 2026, meanwhile, is more favorable: with no trace of Godchaux remaining on the books beyond this season, trading him created over $11.8 million in cap space for next year.
Increased draft portfolio
The Patriots are adding to their 2026 draft capital one late-round pick at a time. After already picking up an extra sixth-rounder from the Kansas City Chiefs last October, they now added a seventh-round choice as well.
In total, New England currently is in possession of nine picks next spring:
1st round
2nd round
3rd round
4th round
5th round
6th round
6th round: via Chiefs (Joshua Uche)
7th round
7th round: via Saints (Davon Godchaux)
The Patriots could end up adding more picks through additional trades. What they are unlikely to do is earn any extra selections from the NFL’s compensatory system: given their league-leading salary cap space this year and the likelihood of big signings happening — including at defensive tackle — New England will end in the red in that regard.
Memories of 2021 spending spree
Godchaux joined the Patriots as a free agent in 2021, when the team went on an unprecedented spending spree. Four years later, only two of the originally 13 acquisitions that March remain with the team: tight end Hunter Henry and wide receiver Kendrick Bourne.
Godchaux, meanwhile, joins a list of departees also including the likes of Matthew Judon, Jonnu Smith, Jalen Mills, Nelson Agholor, Ted Karras, Kyle Van Noy, Henry Anderson, Raekwon McMillan, Montravius Adams and LeRoy Reynolds.