Looking at the Green Bay Packers roster, their pass rush might be the most obvious spot holding them back from Super Bowl contention. The group isn't bad, headlined by Rashan Gary, but the switch to a 4-3 base alignment has made some players like Lukas Van Ness seemingly take a step back. They added young talent in the draft with Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver to help the depth — but what if they took a big swing and added former New York Giants first-round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux
ESPN analyst Aaron Schatz explored the proverbial meat still left on the bone for every NFL team, specifically looking at one move that every team should still make. For the Packers, that move was extending Zach Tom. But the most interesting nugget about Green Bay came in regards to the Giants, who Schatz suggested that they should trade.
With Thibodeaux joined by Brian Burns and No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter now in New York, the Giants could have a rotation. But with just two years left on his rookie deal and the likelihood that the front office won't want to levy a market-level extension, trading Thibodeaux for picks could make sense. That's when the Packers come into the fray for Schatz.
"But the Giants can also trade Thibodeaux to a contender that needs help on the edge, such as the Packers or the Lions, and probably get a Day 2 pick in return. More draft capital would be a huge help for 2026 when they'll be trying to find as many strong offensive players as possible to build around quarterback Jaxson Dart and wide receiver Malik Nabers."
The Packers being connected in that way makes perfect sense, especially for a team with legitimate title aspirations.
Kayvon Thibodeaux could level-up Packers pass rush to Super Bowl caliber
Mark Oldacres of Packers Wire recent dove into the Packers roster to assess where they were either where they needed to be or were lacking in terms of a Super Bowl contending team based on historical data. In regards to the pass rush, Green Bay ranked 16th and 17th in the past two seasons, respectively, while Super Bowl participants since 2017 have ranked on average between 11th and 12th. Simply put, that means the Packers need to improve, which Thibodeaux could help with.
Last season, Thibodeaux racked up six sacks and 23 hurries on the year, but his effectiveness wasn't totally reflected by that. He ranked 32nd among qualified edge rushers in terms of pass-rush grade by PFF ($). Furthermore, his pass-rush win rate of 14.2 percent was just below that of guys like Khalil Mack, Brian Burns, Montez Sweat and Greg Rousseau. He's quietly starting living up to the pedigree of rusher you'd expect for a Top 10 pick.
Adding that to be the starter with Gary, who ranked 50th in pass-rush grade by PFF last season but 28th overall, could substantially upgrade what the Packers have coming at quarterbacks off the edge. After all, the other two snap count leaders on the edge with Gary last season were Van Ness and Kingsley Enagbare, 107th and 88th overall in overall PFF grade. Thibodeaux has performed far better as a rusher and overall than those players.
What would a Kayvon Thibodeaux trade cost the Packers?
The big question for the Packers, of course, would be if what they'd have to give up would be worth it. Schatz suggested a Day 2 pick, which would make sense given a lot of the recent projections for someone like Trey Hendrickson. Hendrickson, no doubt, has been a better and more established edge rusher than Thibodeaux, but both similarly come with the caveat of needing an extension. Projections for Hendrickson, meanwhile, largely center around a trade using a 2026 second-round pick.
Using that as a jump-off point for the Packers and Thibodeaux, a package starting with a 2026 third-round pick would make sense. As Schatz mentioned, that would be beneficial to the Giants and their long-term vision to build around Jaxson Dart and Malik Nabers by dealing from a position where they currently have both a glut of talent and an out with the former first-rounder.
That would seemingly be worth it for the Packers, a team with one of the younger rosters in the NFL and upside to win the NFC North and make a run to the Super Bowl. Of course, trading for Thibodeaux wouldn't guarantee that but, if they have to give up ostensibly only a third-round pick to notably improve their chances, that's a move they have to make.