Pats Defender Seeking New Contract Gives Team an Ultimatum

The New England Patriots' 2024 offseason has centered around locking up members of their core to long-term deals, instead of shelling out much on outside additions. However, there's still several more players currently on the roster who are up for new contracts, and they want a piece of the team's big internal spending.

One of those extension candidates is defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, but without a deal in hand, he's ramping up the pressure on New England's front office.

Godchaux said on Twitter/X that he "would love to" finish his career with the Patriots, "but it has to make sense to me and my team." The defender made sure to point out he wants something that's "fair" in value to him, with the belief his work in the trenches shouldn't go unrewarded despite it not showing up on most stat sheets.

As a vet who's been around the NFL block, Godchaux knows exactly what he's doing with this statement. Saying he wants to stick around, and hinting he's not getting the respect he deserves in contract talks, makes him look good to fans. Meanwhile, New England seems like the bad guy in this situation.

It's a bold negotiation tactic that may or may not help him remain with the Pats. Surely the front office doesn't want to watch one of its core defensive pieces walk away for nothing, but after giving out so much money to other, more important players this offseason, they may be hesitant to pay Godchaux after accumulating 2.5 sacks and 7 tackles for loss over three years.

Of course, making these contract frustrations public also lets every other team around the league know Godchaux is up for grabs. So even if this backfires in New England, the defender may still get the deal he's seeking after all from someone else.

It does sound like if the Pats don't waver on their current stance, though, Godchaux is fully prepared to move on.

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