Khalen Saunders Reportedly Traded to Jaguars, Saints Get Fortner After Preseason Game

The New Orleans Saints traded defensive tackle Khalen Saunders to the Jacksonville Jaguars after the two teams faced off in the preseason on Sunday, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Pelissero reported the Saints will receive center Luke Fortner in return.

Saunders has started 27 games for the Saints over the past two seasons after spending the first four years of his career as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, winning two Super Bowls during his tenure with the team.

The 29-year-old reacted to the trade in a post on X.

Saunders is entering the final year of his contract and will carry a $2.5 million cap hit for the 2025 season.

He wrapped up a 2024 campaign in which he recorded 43 tackles, three tackles for loss, three passes defensed and two sacks. Saunders only appeared in 13 games due to a calf injury.

His path towards a significant amount of playing time in 2025 was unclear, as New Orleans made multiple additions at defensive tackle to bolster a unit that ranked No. 31 among all NFL teams last season by allowing 141.4 rush yards per game.

The Saints traded for Davon Godchaux in March before selecting Vernon Broughton with a third-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

Now, the Jaguars will be looking for Saunders to bolster their defensive line depth.

As for Fortner, he started in every game for Jacksonville from 2023-24 after the team selected him with a third-round pick in the 2023 draft. He moved to a special teams role last season, but still appeared in all 17 regular-season games.

Fortner will likely remain a depth option for New Orleans and serve as insurance after the team lost center Will Clapp to a season-ending Lisfranc injury on Tuesday.