Godchaux shares unique insight into contract talks with Patriots GM

Godchaux shares unique insight into contract talks with Patriots GM

If you’ve ever wondered how contract discussions between NFL players and general managers work, Davon Godchaux has the answers.

The Patriots defensive tackle recently signed a two-year contract extension with New England worth up to $21 million, but not without some controversy, with Godchaux openly expressing his contract discontent prior to signing the new deal.

So, how did Godchaux and Patriots de facto general manager Eliot Wolf work out their differences? In a recent episode of his “Chaux Talk” YouTube show, the 29-year-old provided a very comprehensive account of what occurred.

“Man, it was a new head coach,” Godchaux explained. “I don’t want to be a distraction for the squad; all I want to do is play ball. I didn’t do anything at OTAs; I simply worked out at the facility and went home.

“… During training camp, I had a conversation with Eliot. He called and said, ‘Look, what’s going on? We want you out on the field practicing. I said, ‘Look, Eliot, I don’t have guarantees.’ I got it. While excellent pass rushers are highly compensated, it’s also important to have someone who can stop the run. If the run is not interrupted, you can forget about the pass rush.”

Rather than staging a “hold-in” like his then-teammate Matthew Judon, Godchaux chose to participate in training practices in the hopes that he and Wolf could reach an agreement on a new contract with guaranteed money. That plan paid off, as Godchaux signed an extension on July 31 that reportedly included $16.5 million in guarantees.

“Me and my agent ended up taking a whole other approach when it came to training camp,” Godchaux told reporters. “I practiced in pads for the first couple of days, and around the third day, I was compensated. We were just about a million or two off.

“I’m like, ‘Eliot, let’s just finish this. I want to be here. You want me here. Let’s just get this done. And then we get it done.

Godchaux’s new contract was one of several that Wolf and company offered to Patriots veterans this offseason. However, one veteran who did not receive a new contract was Judon, whom the Patriots transferred to the Atlanta Falcons after the two sides couldn’t agree.

Judon regretted after the transfer because Wolf never met with him face to face to try to establish common ground, while in Godchaux’s case, it appears that a few phone calls sufficed to complete their transaction.