diff --git a/libpod/networking_common.go b/libpod/networking_common.go
index 851d836659..0da0a84413 100644
--- a/libpod/networking_common.go
+++ b/libpod/networking_common.go
@@ -162,10 +162,20 @@ func (r *Runtime) reloadContainerNetwork(ctr *Container) (map[string]types.Statu
 	}
 	logrus.Infof("Going to reload container %s network", ctr.ID())
 
+	// store the old status before unsetting it
+	netStatus := ctr.getNetworkStatus()
 	err := r.teardownNetwork(ctr)
 	if err != nil {
 		logrus.Error(err)
 	}
+	// We must unset the network status here so
+	ctr.state.NetworkStatus = nil
+
+	// always save even when there was an error
+	err = ctr.save()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to save container status after network teardown: %w", err)
+	}
 
 	networkOpts, err := ctr.networks()
 	if err != nil {
@@ -173,7 +183,6 @@ func (r *Runtime) reloadContainerNetwork(ctr *Container) (map[string]types.Statu
 	}
 
 	// Set the same network settings as before..
-	netStatus := ctr.getNetworkStatus()
 	newNetworkOpts := make([]types.NamedPerNetworkOptions, 0, len(networkOpts))
 	for _, network := range networkOpts {
 		for name, netInt := range netStatus[network.Name].Interfaces {
@@ -190,7 +199,7 @@ func (r *Runtime) reloadContainerNetwork(ctr *Container) (map[string]types.Statu
 	}
 	ctr.perNetworkOpts = newNetworkOpts
 
-	return r.configureNetNS(ctr, ctr.state.NetNS)
+	return r.configureNetNS(ctr, ctr.state.NetNS, true)
 }
 
 // Produce an InspectNetworkSettings containing information on the container
diff --git a/libpod/networking_freebsd.go b/libpod/networking_freebsd.go
index e296f996f0..69abc5207d 100644
--- a/libpod/networking_freebsd.go
+++ b/libpod/networking_freebsd.go
@@ -47,14 +47,14 @@ type NetstatAddress struct {
 // started. We can use this to initialise the container's vnet when we don't
 // have a separate vnet jail (which is the case in FreeBSD 13.3 and later).
 func (r *Runtime) setupNetNS(ctr *Container) error {
-	networkStatus, err := r.configureNetNS(ctr, ctr.ID())
+	networkStatus, err := r.configureNetNS(ctr, ctr.ID(), false)
 	ctr.state.NetNS = ctr.ID()
 	ctr.state.NetworkStatus = networkStatus
 	return err
 }
 
 // Create and configure a new network namespace for a container
-func (r *Runtime) configureNetNS(ctr *Container, ctrNS string) (status map[string]types.StatusBlock, rerr error) {
+func (r *Runtime) configureNetNS(ctr *Container, ctrNS string, _ bool) (status map[string]types.StatusBlock, rerr error) {
 	if err := r.exposeMachinePorts(ctr.config.PortMappings); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ func (r *Runtime) createNetNS(ctr *Container) (n string, q map[string]types.Stat
 	logrus.Debugf("Created vnet jail %s for container %s", netns, ctr.ID())
 
 	var networkStatus map[string]types.StatusBlock
-	networkStatus, err = r.configureNetNS(ctr, netns)
+	networkStatus, err = r.configureNetNS(ctr, netns, false)
 	if err != nil {
 		jconf := jail.NewConfig()
 		jconf.Set("persist", false)
diff --git a/libpod/networking_linux.go b/libpod/networking_linux.go
index 4845227f0a..67b2343acd 100644
--- a/libpod/networking_linux.go
+++ b/libpod/networking_linux.go
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ import (
 )
 
 // Create and configure a new network namespace for a container
-func (r *Runtime) configureNetNS(ctr *Container, ctrNS string) (status map[string]types.StatusBlock, rerr error) {
+func (r *Runtime) configureNetNS(ctr *Container, ctrNS string, reload bool) (status map[string]types.StatusBlock, rerr error) {
 	if err := r.exposeMachinePorts(ctr.config.PortMappings); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ func (r *Runtime) configureNetNS(ctr *Container, ctrNS string) (status map[strin
 		case config.RootlessPortForwarderPasta:
 			// Handled by container-libs netavark Setup()
 		case config.RootlessPortForwarderRootlessport, "":
-			if ctr.getNetworkStatus() == nil {
+			if !reload {
 				err = r.setupRootlessPortMappingViaRLK(ctr, ctrNS, netStatus)
 			}
 		default:
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ func (r *Runtime) createNetNS(ctr *Container) (n string, q map[string]types.Stat
 	logrus.Debugf("Made network namespace at %s for container %s", ctrNS.Path(), ctr.ID())
 
 	var networkStatus map[string]types.StatusBlock
-	networkStatus, err = r.configureNetNS(ctr, ctrNS.Path())
+	networkStatus, err = r.configureNetNS(ctr, ctrNS.Path(), false)
 	return ctrNS.Path(), networkStatus, err
 }
 
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ func (r *Runtime) setupNetNS(ctr *Container) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	networkStatus, err := r.configureNetNS(ctr, nsPath)
+	networkStatus, err := r.configureNetNS(ctr, nsPath, false)
 
 	// Assign NetNS attributes to container
 	ctr.state.NetNS = nsPath