Packers Trade Proposal for Former No. 5 Pick Turns Heads

The Green Bay Packers finished the 2024 season ranked 26th in pass-rush win-rate, an area of the defense that must show improvement given the reinforced offensive lines across the NFC North.

The Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears made considerable improvements to their offensive fronts, with both teams ranking in the top 7 offensive line groups ahead of the season, after finishing the 2024 season ranked 18th and 24th, respectively. Meanwhile, the defending divisional champion Detroit Lions are ranked the No. 13 unit for the upcoming season.

While the Vikings and Bears bolstered their offensive fronts immensely, the Packers did not make any meaningful moves to improve a middling pass rush.

That’s led ESPN’s Seth Walder to recommend a training camp trade to bolster the Packers’ pass rush.

Fans React to Packers Trade Proposal to Land Giants EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux

In a July 30 article, Walder urged the Packers to send the New York Giants a second-round pick in exchange for former No. 5 overall pick Kayvon Thibodeaux and a fifth-rounder.

From ESPN:

The Packers are natural trade partners here. This is a team in contention now, but with a major need at edge. Green Bay’s current grouping of Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, Kingsley Enagbare and fourth-round pick Barryn Sorrell probably isn’t cutting it — the team ranked 26th in pass rush win rate last season. Thibodeaux would certainly help the cause.

Who, exactly, Green Bay would be getting remains a question. Thibodeaux hasn’t quite lived up to his predraft hype. He has 21.0 sacks in three seasons with the Giants, along with a 16% pass rush win rate at edge that’s essentially average for a starter at the position. But given his draft pedigree and young age (24), he absolutely still offers star-level upside. Plus, he’s been on a bad team the past two years — it’s undoubtedly harder for pass rushers to generate big numbers when trailing.

In terms of contract, Green Bay would be getting Thibodeaux at an extreme bargain in 2025 ($1.1 million) and a light bargain in 2026 ($14.8 million).

In 2023, Thibodeau put forth his best season, posting 11.5 sacks and 43 pressures.

On an X post that garnered over 40,000 views, fans generally supported the idea of landing Thibodeaux for a second-round pick, although there was skepticism of why the Giants would trade him away.

Some fans suggested a third would make the deal easier to stomach, while others argued that cornerback should be the greater concern ahead of this season.

“We need a corner back!!! Our defense is gonna cause us game big time if we don’t get a corner back,” one fan wrote.

Packers Have Many Perks to Trade for Thibodeaux

If the Packers could convince the Giants to trade away Thibodeaux for merely a second-round pick, it would be well worth their while.

As Walder mentioned, Thibodeaux is still young. He’s played on bad teams and is now in competition for snaps with No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter and two-time Pro Bowler Brian Burns, who signed a five-year, $141 million deal with the Giants last year.

The Giants seemingly have already phased Thibodeaux out of their long-term plans by signing Burns to a deal that aligns with Carter’s contract.

Rather than signing a stopgap veteran who will likely push for free agency next year, the Packers could make a low-cost, upside bet on Thibodeaux, which could lead to him flourishing in Green Bay and ultimately secure a long-term contract with the team.

Thibodeaux is still affordable on his rookie deal and would have the opportunity to prove his worth and become a long-term contributor in Green Bay.