Details emerge on Davon Godchaux's contract extension with Patriots

FOXBORO -- Davon Godchaux received a nice raise from the Patriots on Tuesday. We now have the details of that raise.

Godchaux was given a two-year extension by the Patriots, a move that came out of nowhere and surprised just about everyone. It was even more surprising when Bill Belichick came out Wednesday and called Godchaux "one of the best defensive linemen" in the league.

Belichick doesn't throw out that kind of praise for anyone, so it's pretty clear that he likes Godchaux. A lot. It was reported Tuesday that the deal included $18 million in guaranteed money, and now we're getting even more details of the extension thanks to ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss.

Godchaux received a $10.5 million signing bonus with his new deal, with his 2022 salary dropping to $1.5 million. His cap hit for the upcoming season will be $8.75 million with the new extension, down from the $10.25 million cap hit that he carried before he signed the deal.

With those cap savings, the Patriots have roughly $3 million in cap space heading into the 2022 season. Other restructures and extensions could be on the way to give the Patriots some more wiggle room under the cap.