Belichick on Godchaux extension: "He's one of the best defensive linemen in the league"

FOXBORO -- We had a pretty good idea that Bill Belichick was a big fan of Davon Godchaux when he gave the defensive tackle a big-money extension on Wednesday. Belichick sang Godchaux's praises ahead of Thursday's training camp practice in Foxboro, showing just how highly he thinks of the lineman.

"He's one of best defensive linemen in the league," Belichick said of Godchaux. "Glad we could work that out with Davon and Drew [Rosenhaus]. Both sides are happy."

Of course Godchaux is happy, since he received a pretty substantial raise with his new deal. The Patriots gave him a two-year, $20.8 million extension, with nearly $18 million guaranteed. Godchaux was heading into the final year of a two-year deal that he signed with New England last offseason, with a base salary of $6.5 million for 2022.

Now he's locked in through the 2024 season. With that kind of investment, the Patriots surely see Godchaux as a big part of the defensive line's future, alongside second-year pro Christian Barmore.

He was grateful for the praise from Belichick on Thursday and the big raise. But he's not satisfied and always looking to get better on the field.

"It just shows appreciation for all the hard work," Godchaux said of the praise and the raise. "There is a lot expected out of me and I want to make sure I live up to those expectations each and every day. I'm glad to get the praise from Bill but there is still a lot more work to do."

Godchaux came from Miami where he played under former New England defensive coach Brian Flores. He loved his first season in New England, and is glad that many more are in his future.

"I felt like when I first signed here, this was home," Godchaux said Thursday. "I fit right in. Bill is honest with positive criticism. He's going to hold you accountable. I needed a coach like that and when I got here, it was everything I thought it was."

While the Patriots defense was not particularly great against the run last season, Godchaux was a beast at stuffing rushers, especially in the second half of the season. He played in all 17 regular season games for New England in 2021, starting 16, and racked up 65 combined tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble. He played nearly 60 percent of the Patriots defensive snaps last season, leading all defensive linemen.