Oct 30, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; General view of the New Orleans Saints logo as the midfield logo fleur-de-lis after the game between the New Orleans Saints and the Las Vegas Raiders at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Saints Officially Announce Surprise Trade

Originally posted on New Orleans Saints on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Aug 18, 2025 12:11 PM ET

The New Orleans Saints caught some by surprise on Sunday night.

The fireworks of the day seemed to be over. New Orleans took on the Jacksonville Jaguars during the day. It was a wild game in itself that ended in a 17-17 tie. Most of the chatter of the day involved Spencer Rattler, Tyler Shough, and their places in the Saints' quarterback competition. But, just a few hours later reports surfaced that New Orleans was swinging a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars to send Khalen Saunders to the Jaguars and bring Luke Fortner to New Orleans.

The reports popped up on Sunday and the team made the official announcement on Monday afternoon.

"New Orleans Saints Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis announced today that the club has acquired offensive lineman Luke Fortner from the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for defensive tackle Khalen Saunders pending completion of player physicals," The Saints announced. "Fortner, 6-4, 307, is a fourth-year NFL veteran who was originally selected in the third round (65th overall) by the Jaguars out of Kentucky. In three seasons with the Jaguars, the Sylvania, Ohio native has played in all 51 games with 34 starts at center.

Did Saints get their trade with the Jaguars right?

"In college, Fortner played in 55 career games with 36 consecutive starts for the Wildcats. He was elected as a team captain in 2021, when he was a second-team All-SEC selection."

Fortner is an intriguing addition. The offensive line depth has been tested, especially with Will Clapp getting hurt. Fortner will at least have the opportunity to compete for that rol.e

Saunders spent the last two seasons in New Orleans, but his role wasn't solidified for 2025. In fact, NewOrleans.Football's Nick Underhill shared on social media that Saunders was expected to get cut.

"Trading a player who was gonna get cut for a player who was gonna get cut. See if it works out. If it doesn't, nothing lost," Underhill said.

At the end of the day, this move doesn't completely move the needle, but it does at least give the Saints some more depth. Now, it will be interesting to see if Fortner can do enough for the next few weeks to land a role on the roster ahead of the 2025 season. New Orleans has one more preseason game on Sat. Aug. 23rd against the Denver Broncos. Then, they will begin regular season action on Sept. 7th against the Arizona Cardinals.

More NFL: Khalen Saunders Has 1 Word For Saints Trade

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

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