At 1 p.m. on Sunday, Khalen Saunders started for the New Orleans Saints in the preseason against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
By the end of the day, Saunders was a member of the Jags.
The Saints traded Saunders to the Jaguars after their matchup against one another.
The deal, reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, brings back center Luke Fortner to New Orleans.
Saunders is a 29-year old defensive tackle who listed as DT2 on the Saints’ depth chart behind Davon Godchaux.
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The big fella had 43 tackles, including two sacks, along with an interception last season for New Orleans.
Saunders had spent four seasons with the Chiefs before coming to the Saints for a couple years. He won two Super Bowl rings in Kansas City.
Now, Saunders is entering the final year of his contract.
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Fortner has appeared in every possible one of the 51 games the Jaguars have played since he was a third-round pick in 2022. That includes 34 starts.
He’s also entering the last season of his deal.
Saints center Will Clapp sustained a season-ending foot injury, so they needed a new guy to fill that role, and Fortner will be the guy.
The fact that Saints and Jags played Sunday seems mostly a coincidence, although maybe it was one last chance to get a good look at the guy each team wanted.
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