Report: Saints agree to trade DT Davon Godchaux to Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars have agreed to trade for New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, sending a conditional 2028 sixth-round pick that converts to a 2027 sixth if Jacksonville acquires one before the draft. The deal comes on the same day the Jaguars acquired Pro Bowl safety Jessie Bates from Atlanta for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-rounder, making it Jacksonville’s second defensive transaction before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline.

DaVon Hamilton suffered a season-ending quad injury in Week 8, leaving a hole at nose tackle on a defense trying to protect a 6-2 lead in the AFC South. Godchaux, 31, is a former Dolphins fifth-round pick out of LSU who has played for New England and New Orleans since leaving Miami. He appeared in all eight Saints games this season, starting five before moving to a reserve role for the last three, and recorded 15 tackles and one tackle for loss. His snap share fell to 29.8 percent in 2026 from 41.5 percent last year, though he made a pivotal fourth-down goal-line stop in New Orleans’ 23-22 win over Cleveland on Sunday.

Godchaux restructured his contract entering the season and is on a minimum salary, with Jacksonville responsible for roughly $650,000 of the remaining $1.3 million because the trade occurred one day before the deadline. He is scheduled to become a free agent in 2027, making this effectively a one-year rental for a team that decided interior run defense was a more urgent need than adding a premium pass rusher. Jaguars general manager James Gladstone has indicated the team may not be done, with edge rushers such as Khalil Mack and Josh Sweat mentioned as possible targets, though the Chargers have yet to win a game and Mack’s availability is unresolved.

The Saints are 3-5 but tied for first place in the NFC South, and coach Kellen Moore said the trade was the best thing for the football team even though Godchaux is “all-time pro.” Without him, the defensive tackle room turns to Vernon Broughton, Colby Wooden, Khristian Boyd, Nathan Shepherd and rookie Christen Miller, with Broughton, Wooden and Boyd leading the group in snaps over the last month.

Jacksonville is betting that a cheap, experienced run-stuffer can stabilize an interior that lost its anchor for the season, while giving up almost nothing in draft capital. New Orleans is betting that its younger tackles can absorb the snaps without hurting a division race that remains unusually tight.