The New England Patriots already pulled off one blockbuster with an NFC East team, acquiring AJ Brown from the Eagles. Could a deal with the New York Giants be next?
New England’s trade for Brown dominated the headlines when they landed him in the June 1 blockbuster with Philly, and it overshadowed a report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. According to Fowler, the Patriots are a “sleeper” to acquire former No. 5 pick Kayvon Thibodeaux if the G-Men move him.
Patriots Named ‘Sleeper’ to Trade for Giants’ Kayvon Thibodeaux
“The New Orleans Saints, they kicked the tires on this,” Fowler said on ESPN. “The sleeper in this could be the New England Patriots, funny enough. They’re in on AJ Brown, we know that, they feel like they might be a player away (and) edge rusher is where they’re a little bit thin, so they could at least look into it.”
The Giants have a relative surplus at the position, which is why they might consider trading Thibodeaux, whom they drafted with the No. 5 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Abdul Carter and Brian Burns are likely to be ahead of him on the depth chart, and Thibodeaux will hit the market after the season.
ESPN.com reported a week ago that New York’s asking price is high, but meeting the demand could motivate them to move him.
“(The Giants) would have traded him for the right return earlier this year (i.e., a second-round pick),” ESPN.com Giants reporter Jordan Raanan reported. According to the report, Thibodeaux has impressed John Harbaugh and the Giants’ new staff, and is apparently “valued significantly higher than what the rest of the league offered.”
In that same story, ESPN reporter Dan Graziano created a hypothetical trade for the Patriots to land Thibodeaux. He proposed New England send its 2027 fifth-round pick to New York for Thibodeaux. Coincidentally, the Patriots parted with that fifth-rounder in the Brown trade.
Is Thibodeaux Worth It for Patriots?
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel acknowledged at the open of OTAs that there were areas of the roster that could still be improved. They did that with the Brown trade, and they could use that upgrade with their pass rush. Whether Thibodeaux does that is another story.
The Oregon product hasn’t lived up to the hype that came with being a top-five pick. He had a career-high 11.5 sacks in 2023, his second season. That was the outlier. Thibodeaux has yet to record more than 5.5 sacks in any of his other three seasons, including just 2.5 a season ago, a campaign in which he played only 10 games.
Thibodeaux ranked 61st of 115 qualified pass rushers based on Pro Football Focus’ grading system in 2025.
“The bar has changed. The Giants are no longer waiting for Thibodeaux to become the pass-rush centerpiece,” Empire Sports Media’s Anthony Rivardo recently wrote. “They are asking whether he can be a core piece in a front that suddenly has more options.”
Patriots ‘Sleeper’ to Trade for Giants’ Former Top Pick, Per Insider