The Patriots traded defensive end Keion White (left) and a 2026 seventh-round draft pick to the 49ers in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick.
The Patriots traded defensive end Keion White (left) and a 2026 seventh-round draft pick to the 49ers in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick.Barry Chin/Globe Staff
The Patriots are trading defensive end Keion White to the 49ers, a league source confirmed.
New England will receive a 2026 sixth-round draft pick in exchange for White and a 2026 seventh-rounder.
White’s future seemed in doubt after he was a healthy scratch for Sunday’s win over the Browns. The 26-year-old missed the Patriots’ Week 6 game at New Orleans with an elbow injury, but returned to practice as a full participant in Week 7 and was not listed on the injury report headed into Week 8.
Amid questions about his role, White had declined requests to speak to the media for past couple of weeks.
The trade marks the end of a precipitous fall for White, who once seemed on track to become an organizational building block for the future.
After getting drafted in the second round out of Georgia Tech in 2023, White showed tremendous promise as a rookie pass rusher with his physicality and aggressiveness. But his career never took off in the way the Patriots expected.
Last season, teammates implicitly called out White for playing selfishly. By the end of the year, White became critical of the coaching staff. After the Patriots hired Mike Vrabel, White’s third coach in as many seasons, the hope was for him to take advantage of a fresh start.
White, however, never managed to earn a consistent role and remained buried on the depth chart behind Harold Landry and K’Lavon Chaisson. Even in Week 5, when he started in place of the injured Chaisson, White did not have an impact as a pass rusher.
According to Pro Football Focus, White logged just three pressures in 76 pass-rush snaps this season. A pressure rate of 4 percent is underwhelming for a young player who previously flashed so much promise and potential.
White was under contract through 2026.
Without White, the Patriots will turn to Anfernee Jennings and undrafted rookie Elijah Ponder to round out the depth chart on the edge. They could also strike another trade to improve the position.
The NFL trade deadline is Nov. 4.
Nicole Yang can be reached at nicole.yang@globe.com.Follow her @nicolecyang.