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Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport proposed Mike Vrabel and the New England Patriots acquire New York Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux in a shocking NFL trade.

The New England Patriots already made a blockbuster trade with the addition of wide receiver A.J. Brown this month. But that doesn’t completely rule out the Patriots from making another major deal in the trade market.

On Friday, Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport named six “shocking” trades that would influence the 2026 playoff races. Davenport identified the Patriots acquiring New York Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux as one of the surprising moves.

“The New York Giants have maintained throughout the offseason that they have no intention of trading contract-year edge-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux—at least not for what teams have offered to date,” wrote Davenport.

“Of course, if the Giants can get a better deal than the compensatory pick the team will get when Thibodeaux all but certainly leaves in 2027 in free agency, it could be another story. The Patriots have already pushed their chips into the middle of the table with the A.J. Brown trade.

“For the opportunity to bolster the pass rush, New England might as well mortgage the future a little bit more. And while Thibodeaux had a down 2025, we are taking about a 25-year-old former top-five pick with an 11.5-sack season on his NFL resume.”

Davenport proposed the Patriots offer a conditional 2027 third-round pick to the Giants for Thibodeaux.

The Giants selected Thibodeaux at No. 5 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. In 53 NFL games, the edge rusher has posted 152 combined tackles, including 31 tackles for loss. He’s also registered 55 quarterback hits, 23.5 sacks, 13 pass defenses and six forced fumbles.

Last season, Thibodeaux had five tackles for loss, nine quarterback hits and 2.5 sacks in 10 games.

Why Patriots Could Make Another Blockbuster Trade

Interestingly, Davenport used New England’s trade for Brown as a reason for the Patriots to acquire the Giants edge rusher.

The Brown deal leaves the Patriots with less draft capital over the next two seasons, which could deter New England from making another trade where it gives up picks for a player. It could be especially difficult for the Patriots to trade a draft selection for a player on an expiring contract.

But Davenport’s logic makes sense. If the Patriots want to get back to the Super Bowl this fall, the team should be executing all-in moves. Acquiring Thibodeaux would be that.

While the former top 5 pick has largely been a disappointment in New York, he did register 11.5 sacks during his second season in 2023. He also had 12 tackles for loss, 16 quarterback hits, four pass defenses and three forced fumbles in that campaign.

If the Patriots see Thibodeaux as still possessing that kind of potential, they should be negotiating to see what kind of deal it would take to land the edge rusher.

How Kayvon Thibodeaux Potentially Fits With Patriots

The Patriots entered the offseason with two significant needs — wide receiver and edge rusher. New England satisfied the first need with Brown and free agent Romeo Doubs.

At edge rusher, the Patriots signed Dre’Mont Jones in free agency and selected Gabe Jacas during the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft. New England made those additions to replace K’Lavon Chaisson, who departed in free agency for the Washington Commanders.

But despite their strong defense overall, the Patriots were in the bottom third of the league in sacks during 2025. They could go for a major upgrade as the team did with Brown by acquiring Thibodeaux.

It’s not clear the Giants edge rusher is available for a trade. He appears to be doing fairly well with his fresh start under new head coach John Harbaugh.

But if the trade offer is high enough, Davenport sees Thibodeaux to the Patriots within the realm of possibilities.