Following the Patriots' disastrous 2024 season, several easy moves were necessary under the watchful eye of new head coach Mike Vrabel. Besides moving on from quarterback Joe Milton III, there were a few other players deemed tradeable ahead of OTAs and mini-camp, with longtime starting lineman Davon Godchaux.
Since joining the team in 2021, during Bill Belichick's free agency spending spree, he has maintained his status as one of the most consistent and reliable defenders on the team's defensive line. At one point, he was even considered the best on the team.
But he didn't fit the mold of what a Vrabel defense was or would be made into in New England, so that made it easy for the new regime to trade him to the Saints for a 2026 seventh-round pick.