The New Orleans Saints agreed to trade defensive tackle Davon Godchaux to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday, Nov. 9, a day before the NFL trade deadline. Godchaux played in all eight games for New Orleans this season, but the veteran had moved into a reserve role over the past three.
The deal gives Jacksonville a veteran nose tackle and New Orleans a conditional sixth-round pick. It also opens a spot in the Saints’ defensive tackle rotation just as they prepare to face the Carolina Panthers with first place in the NFC South on the line.
What the Saints Got in the Davon Godchaux Trade
Tom Pelissero reported the agreement Monday. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the Saints will receive a 2028 sixth-round pick that can become a 2027 sixth-rounder if Jacksonville acquires one. The Jaguars currently do not have a sixth-round pick in the 2027 draft.
Godchaux was in the final year of his deal. He recorded 15 tackles in eight games this season and started the first five. The Saints acquired him from New England in March 2025, bringing the former LSU defensive tackle back to Louisiana. New Orleans went from 31st in opponent rushing yards per play in 2024 to sixth in Godchaux’s first season, according to the team.
Jacksonville had a more immediate need at nose tackle. As Jaguars Wire’s Paul Bretl reported, DaVon Hamilton is out for the season with a quad injury. The Jaguars also have a familiar coach for Godchaux in defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile, who overlapped with him in Miami in 2020.
Saints Trade Rumors Turn to the Rest of the Defensive Line
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported before the deadline that Godchaux and fellow Saints defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd had both come up in trade talks. Chase Young has surfaced in trade chatter, too, but moving an edge rusher would pose a different question for a team still in the division race. Godchaux had already shifted out of the starting lineup.
There’s a more immediate question on the roster. New Orleans used the No. 42 pick on Georgia defensive tackle Christen Miller in April, yet the rookie was a healthy inactive against Cleveland on Sunday, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football noted. Godchaux’s departure gives the Saints an opening to dress Miller and get a look at him in the rotation. A second trade involving the interior would leave even more snaps to fill.
The trade deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 4 p.m. ET. Five days later, the Saints host Carolina. Both teams enter the week at 3-5 and tied atop the NFC South.
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