INDIANAPOLIS -- Starting defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, who has spent the past four seasons with the New England Patriots, has been given permission by the team to seek a trade, sources confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday.
Godchaux, 30, enters his ninth NFL season and has two years remaining on the extension he signed last July, which included $16.5 million in guaranteed money. He is scheduled to earn salaries of $4 million in 2025 and $5.5 million in 2026.
The 6-foot-3, 330-pound Godchaux played in all 68 regular-season games over the past four years in New England, with 67 starts. He mostly filled a two-down role as a run-stopping nose tackle.
Godchaux spent the first four seasons of his career with the Miami Dolphins, entering the NFL as a fifth-round draft pick out of LSU in 2017.
The Patriots are establishing a new culture, and they plan to run an aggressive defensive scheme under first-year coach Mike Vrabel and defensive coordinator Terrell Williams that might not place as high of a value on run-stuffing nose tackles like Godchaux. Williams also has a background with Godchaux, as he was the Dolphins' defensive line coach when Godchaux entered the NFL.
Over the past two days at the NFL combine, Vrabel and executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf discussed the importance of fortifying their personnel on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
They hope fifth-year defensive tackle Christian Barmore, who was limited to four games last season after being diagnosed with blood clots, will be part of that.
"We don't know for sure yet. The one thing we know is he's working out in Tampa right now. That's going really well from the reports we've gotten," Wolf said. "He's doing everything in his power. He wants to play football."
NFL Media first reported that the Patriots granted Godchaux permission to seek a trade.
