Player for player trades are rare in the NFL these day.
But the players having gone against one another on the same day? Even if it was a preseason Week 2 tie, that still has to be like seeing a bald eagle.
The New Orleans Saints sent defensive tackle Khalen Saunders to the Jacksonville Jaguars for center Luke Fortner on Sunday, Aug. 17, after the two teams tied at 17. Saunders and Fortner still managed to end the day as enemies despite switching teams.
Saunders won two Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs prior to starting 27 of 30 possible games over the last two seasons for the Saints. He started for the Saints on Sunday. Fortner entered for the Jaguars as a backup.
Saunders had one of the most notable moments in prime time during the 2024 season. During the Saints’ Week 5 loss to the Chiefs, Saunders picked off Patrick Mahomes while dropping into coverage in the end zone late in the third quarter. Saunders, listed at 325 pounds, rumbled 37 yards up the field before being brought down.
Coincidentally enough, his brother, Kameron Saunders, was a backup dancer for Taylor Swift on the ‘Eras Tour.’ Khalen Saunders was a third-round pick by the Chiefs in 2019 and spent his first four seasons of his career with the team. During the offseason, the Saints bolstered the defensive line by trading for Davon Godchaux and signing Jonathan Bullard.
Fortner is a fourth-year guard from the University of Kentucky who lost his starting spot last season and is entering the final year of his rookie contract.