This NFL trade idea sends a New York Giants star to the New England Patriots.
A trade idea sending a New York Giants star to the New England Patriots was proposed by Seth Walder of ESPN.
The trade idea has the Patriots acquiring Kayvon Thibodeaux from the Giants:
Patriots receive: Edge Kayvon Thibodeaux, 2027 fifth-round pick
Giants receive: 2027 third-round pick
"Thibodeaux hasn't been good enough yet to be New England's unquestioned top edge rusher, but he possesses the promise to develop into that," Walder wrote. "Thibodeaux's 9.9% pass rush win rate at edge last season -- below average for the position -- was similar to what Landry (10.8%) and Jones (8.6%) posted. Thibodeaux had only 2.5 sacks last season in 10 games but has shown more in the past. In 2024, he recorded a 16.8% pass rush win rate at edge (16th best), and he recorded 11.5 sacks as a rookie in 2022. Thibodeaux is also solid in the run game, and his 27.9% run stop win rate at edge last season was above average for the position."
Thibodeaux played in 10 games for the Giants last season. He had 2.5 sacks, 13 solo tackles, five tackles for loss and nine QB hits.
The Giants selected Thibodeaux with the fifth overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Thibodeaux enters this season with 23.5 career sacks, 86 solo tackles, 31 tackles for loss and 55 QB hits.
Thibodeaux had a great start to his NFL career, racking up 15.5 sacks in his first two seasons. For whatever reason, the Oregon product hasn't been dominant the past two seasons.
Maybe a change of scenery could unlock him.
With Brian Burns, Abdul Carter and Arvell Reese on the roster, there has been talk for some time that the Giants could trade Thibodeaux. The Patriots, who acquired A.J. Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles, are in win-now mode after getting to the Super Bowl last season. It will be fascinating to see if New England makes another trade with an NFC East team.
It will be intriguing to see if the Giants trade Thibodeaux before the 2026 season. There were reports during the 2026 draft that the New Orleans Saints were interested in Thibodeaux, but trade talks fell apart when the Giants refused to move the fifth-year veteran for less than a second-round pick.
In Year 2 of the Mike Vrabel era, the Patriots face the Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos. That's a pretty tough schedule.
New England may need to bolster its defense with a Thibodeaux trade to make the playoffs.
