The New England Patriots may have found their next trade target before the 2026 season has even started.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox predicted today that New England will acquire Kayvon Thibodeaux from the New York Giants in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick.
The proposal would give the reigning AFC champions a former top-five draft pick for a defense that still has questions on the edge.
Knox pointed to New England’s 34 sacks last season and wrote that if the pass rush struggles early, “don’t be shocked if they go chasing sack artists on the trade market.”
That possibility is more urgent now that Harold Landry III, who led the Patriots with 8.5 sacks in 2025, will open the year on the physically unable to perform list.
Thibodeaux Would Give Patriots Needed Edge Threat
Thibodeaux has been a trade candidate for much of the offseason. The Giants took him No. 5 overall in 2022, and he has recorded 23.5 sacks through four seasons, including a career-high 11.5 in 2023.
His production dipped over the past two years. Thibodeaux totaled seven sacks across 22 games in 2024 and 2025, and a shoulder injury ended his 2025 campaign after 10 appearances. Still, he is 25 and has shown the potential to be a double-digit sack producer.
The financial side would make any deal more complicated. Spotrac lists Thibodeaux with a $14.751 million salary and cap hit in 2026 on his fifth-year option. He will become an unrestricted free agent in 2027, so New England would likely want some assurance that a second-round pick was buying more than a short-term rental.
There’s also evidence that a second-round pick is the Giants’ preferred price. Knox cited The Athletic’s Dan Duggan in reporting that New York discussed Thibodeaux with the New Orleans Saints during the draft, but the Saints wouldn’t meet that asking price.
New York can afford to listen because of its depth. Brian Burns and Abdul Carter are already established pieces, and the Giants used another No. 5 overall selection on Arvell Reese in April. Reese’s ability to rush off the edge gives New York another long-term option at the position.
Landry Injury Makes Trade Prediction More Timely
The Patriots already invested in their pass rush this offseason. They signed Dre’Mont Jones to a three-year, $36.5 million deal and selected Gabe Jacas with the No. 55 pick in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Jacas arrived after producing 27 sacks in four seasons at Illinois, including 11 as a senior. Asking a rookie to rapidly anchor the edge rotation, however, becomes a bigger challenge with Landry unavailable.
The Patriots placed Landry on the PUP list during final roster cuts, according to the team’s transaction wire. That guarantees he will miss at least the first four games. Landry was New England’s top individual pass rusher last year despite dealing with a knee injury, making his early absence one of the more significant on the roster.
Thibodeaux would offer a different type of move than adding an additional veteran stopgap. He’s entering his prime, has high-end draft pedigree and could become part of the defense beyond 2026 if the Patriots were willing to extend him.
A second-round pick is a steep price, particularly for a player headed toward free agency. But New England reached the Super Bowl last season and has spent the offseason adding pieces with the intention of winning now.
If the edge group becomes a problem in September, Knox’s prediction could quickly look less bold.
Patriots Predicted to Trade 2nd-Round Pick for $14.8 Million Pass Rusher