The Green Bay Packers and the New England Patriots are on slightly different timelines heading into the 2025 NFL season. While the Packers are looking to improve on back-to-back postseason appearances, the Patriots are looking to take the next step with their franchise quarterback after back-to-back four-win seasons.
However, there is one position that both squads are struggling to add the right depth to at this time. As a result, one analyst believes they could be in luck if one prominent name becomes available and is in the market for a trade down the line.
Could Packers and Patriots Shore Up Their Defense?
Last season, New England was among the worst defensive teams in the league, with a unit that ranked in the bottom-third of PFSN’s Defense+ metric. Green Bay, on the other hand, was pleasantly surprising with a top-10 finish.
The teams’ offseason periods have gone dramatically different. While the Patriots made major improvements on defense, most notably appointing Mike Vrabel as New England’s new head coach, the Packers went in the other direction.
For the six-time Super Bowl champion Patriots, that meant an extremely busy offseason, where they focused on every level of their defense. In total, New England added Carlton Davis III, Milton Williams, Harold Landry III, K’Lavon Chaisson, and Robert Spillane.
It has resulted in a solid defensive front and a strong secondary, with an elite corner duo in Davis and Christian Gonzalez. But the New England edge production remains questionable, even with adding Chaisson and Landry.
For the Packers, there wasn’t much movement in free agency, except for the loss of All-Pro corner Jaire Alexander along with Eric Stokes. They brought in Nate Hobbs to replace the duo. On the edge, though, this team remains suspect.
As a result, Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report, in his list of trade candidates that could become available, pegged the Patriots’ and Packers’ rosters as viable contenders to add 2022 NFL Draft No. 5 pick Kavyon Thibodeaux from the New York Giants.
Working on a big edge rusher project and the most improved NFL edge in 2024 was Kayvon Thibodeaux. Much more precise with his hands and his long-arm was more effective. Really like him as a #3 who can win with power and speed pic.twitter.com/6qs1vNC6vl
— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) May 13, 2025
A former first-rounder, Thibodeaux hasn’t performed at that level so far, but showed signs of improvement last season. But a change in scenario might become a necessity after the Giants added Brian Burns and the potential best player in the 2025 NFL Draft, Penn State linebacker Abdul Carter, to bolster their edge depth.
As a result, Knox made a case for each team, starting with New England. “The Patriots, who recorded just 28 sacks in 2024, should have interest in adding Thibodeaux if he’s available,” Knox wrote. “New England did add Harold Landry III and Milton Williams in free agency, but could still use another sack artist on its defensive front.”
What about Titletown, the nickname for the Packers? Knox’s reasoning was even more straightforward.
“The Green Bay Packers should also be interested in adding Thibodeaux,” he wrote. “They only had one player (Rashan Gary) record more than five sacks last season and didn’t add any edge help this offseason before taking (former Texas Longhorn) Barryn Sorrell in Round Four.”
Between the Patriots and Packers, it feels like a no-brainer that the Packers are the more lucrative choice. Ready to make a deep playoff push, Thibodeaux, who could have a career renaissance in Green Bay, could bring a lot of attention towards him, opening him up for a massive second payday.
Additionally, between the two rosters, the Packers did far less to address their concerns at the position. It makes Thibodeaux an even more valuable commodity for them.