Nov 3, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars helmets on the sidelines against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Saints-Jaguars Complete Trade For Super Bowl Champ

Originally posted on New Orleans Saints on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Aug 17, 2025 9:48 PM ET

The New Orleans Saints took on the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday afternoon and clearly enough was seen during the game as now the two sides completed a trade.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that the Saints and Jaguars swung a deal on Sunday night to send two-time Super Bowl champion Khalen Saunders to Jacksonville.

"Trade! The Saints are sending veteran DT Khalen Saunders to the Jaguars, per sources," Pelissero said. "Saunders started for New Orleans in today’s preseason game against Jacksonville … and now is joining them."

This deal came out of nowhere. There hasn't been much said about Saunders throughout the summer. He spent the last two seasons in New Orleans after signing a three-year, $12.3 million deal.

Saunders began his career as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs and spent the first four years of his career in town. Saunders won two Super Bowls as a member of the Chiefs and brought that veteran pedigree over to New Orleans. Last year, he had two sacks and 43 total tackles in 13 games played, including 10 starts. He had 57 total tackles in his first season with the Saints in 2023 while starting all 17 games.

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Clearly, there was some sort of disconnect. Saunders started on Sunday against the Jaguars, but didn't play too much of the game. Matthew Paras of The Times-Picayune and The Advocate shared that he played just 11 snaps in the game and came out in the first quarter.

"Khalen Saunders played 11 snaps and two drives against the Jaguars, now his new team. His last snap came with 4:04 left in the first quarter," Paras said. "The Saints now have an interesting decision to make regarding whether they keep a backup nose tackle."

Saunders is six-year veteran with playoff experience under his belt. It's too early to know what his role will be with Jacksonville, but he's just 29 years old. There's plenty of football left for him and now he will join a Jaguars team that underperformed last year and is looking to turn things around now.

As of writing, the compensation for New Orleans hasn't been reported yet.

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This article first appeared on New Orleans Saints on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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