The New Orleans Saints are off and running with a little more than 24 hours until the NFL trade deadline.
The Saints have pulled off a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars that sends Davon Godchaux to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
For the Jags, it’s a big win — they needed a veteran defensive tackle, and now they have one.
For the Saints, it’s a signal — this team is going to rebuild for the future — and that means this might just be the first of many moves.
Saints Make Trade With Jaguars
Multiple NFL insiders reported the Godchaux trade early Monday afternoon.
He’s being sent to the Jaguars, presumably for draft picks, although that wasn’t initially spelled out.
Gochaux was an incredibly logical trade candidate for the Saints in the final year of his contract.
Why Saints Traded Davon Godchaux
It appears the main impetus for the Godchaux trade is that he is in the final year of his contract, and the Saints don’t plan to keep him for the future.
Because New Orleans isn’t looking at being a powerhouse team the rest of the season, moving Godchaux for whatever they could get was a prudent decision.
More Trades Coming
This feels like it could just be the start for the Saints.
Running back Alvin Kamara and offensive guard Cesar Ruiz, along with linebacker Pete Werner, are among other names that have been floated as trade candidates.
If New Orleans is going to go down the path of trading away a veteran for a draft pick, it seems unlikely to stop at one deal.
The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 4 p.m. ET (3 p.m. Central). The Saints could still be quite active before the buzzer sounds.
Saints Make 1st Trade Before Deadline; More Might Come