The New England Patriots have handed out new contracts to several of their mainstay players throughout the offseason.
Davon Godchaux is still waiting on a new deal, though.
The veteran defensive tackle appears disgruntled over that, too. While Godchaux was present for both of New England’s mandatory minicamp sessions two weeks ago, he didn’t participate in team or individual drills making it seem like he was holding in.
The 29-year-old Godchaux, who is owed around $8 million this season, took to social media Monday night to break his silence on the contract dispute.
“Hopefully we can get something done that’s fair to me and my team before camp starts!” Godchaux posted on the X platform. “I love NE, I would love to retire here but it has to make sense for us! What I do on the football field in the trenches most of time doesn’t show on the stat sheet but turn on the film you will see it if ‘U know’ ball! Would love to finish my career here in NE but it has to make sense to me and my team!”
Godchaux has been a key piece in the interior of New England’s defense since he joined the Patriots prior to the 2021 season. The 6-foot-3, 330-pounder has played in 50 out of a possible 51 games and played 60% of the team’s defensive snaps last season. Godchaux, who got a contract extension two summers ago, recorded 56 tackles during the 2023 campaign.
The Patriots might be leery to give Godchaux a reworked deal, especially after they invested heavily in Christian Barmore this offseason. The Patriots gave the budding star, who also plays defensive tackle and makes more of an impact than Godchaux, a four-year deal worth up to $92 million.
While it took a little bit of time for Godchaux to speak out on his contract situation, Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo addressed it during minicamp.
“There are guys that want to redo contracts and stuff like that,” Mayo told reporters. “It’s not just DG, it’s a bunch of guys that want to do those things, and we’re working through it. Eliot (Wolf) and his staff, they do a great job as far as handling that. I don’t get into the player contracts.”
Mayo added: “DG, look, we want him here. He’s one of our best players. He’s working. I will say that. He is working. He’s here every single day, has been here every single day. We look forward to getting him on the field in camp.”
But the Patriots might get more of the same out of Godchaux during training camp — veterans report July 23 — if he doesn’t have a new contract in hand.
