The New England Patriots need pass-rush help, and the New York Giants have a player the Patriots should be targeting: Kayvon Thibodeaux.
The Giants have Brian Burns and Abdul Carter, so they could be willing to move on from Kayvon Thibodeaux, who is slated to play on his $14.75 million fifth-year option next season. The New England Patriots had just 35 sacks as a team last season, and they need to improve their pass rush before the start of next season. When asked specifically about Thibodeaux popping up in trade rumors, new head coach John Harbaugh noted that he is available.
"Everybody is tradeable," said Harbaugh on Tuesday in a video posted by SNY. "Everybody."
They lost a major producer in K'Lavon Chaisson and replaced him with Dre'Mont Jones. The pass rush is in a similar spot to last season, but it's not too late to make additions.
Thibodeaux was the fifth overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and had a solid start to his NFL career. He finished fourth in AP Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2022 and had 11.5 sacks in his sophomore season. He has slowed down since, recording just eight sacks in the last two seasons, playing in 22 games.
Harbaugh did note that he likes Thibodeaux and is focused on getting him plugged into the defense. He also noted that he looks great and is in great shape. However, public-facing comments are not always indicative of conversations behind closed doors in the front office. Thibodeaux is in a contract year, and the Giants have major investments in two other pass rushers.
Trading Thibodeaux would make a ton of sense for the Giants, and trading for him would make a ton of sense for the Patriots. The Patriots need help getting after the quarterback, and Thibodeaux could get more opportunities on the Patriots than the Giants.
More NFL: Patriots Trade Idea Swaps Three Picks For Three-Time Pro Bowler Amid Trade Request