The New England Patriots are clearly ahead of schedule in their rebuilding process. They were one win away from the ultimate glory, and while their schedule will be much tougher next season, they should still be one of the teams to beat in the AFC.
That said, New England's front office can't rest on its laurels while the teams chasing them in the AFC get better. The Patriots have plenty of work to do, and with veteran EDGE rusher K'Lavon Chaisson likely to be on his way out, they must find someone else to bolster their pass rush department.
According to ESPN insider Ben Solak, Thibodeaux has a 70 percent chance of being traded. And even though he's been inconsistent in his career, having him at $14.7 million on the final year of his rookie season is a risk worth taking:
The Patriots Need to Make a Run at Kayvon Thibodeaux
"Thibodeaux's motor can run hot and cold, which makes him a difficult player to trust on a down-to-down basis. But a contract year could light a fire under Thibodeaux, who generates quick pressures with hand usage and a killer first step," Solak wrote.
Thibodeaux's physicality and athleticism are off the charts. All may need to break out this coming season is a change of scenery, and he showed flashes of his elite head-hunting ability with his 11.5 sacks in 2023. That's nearly half of his career production (23.5 sacks), but it wasn't that long ago that he entered the league as the No. 5 pick.
Chaisson will be a free agent, and he's likely to fetch a big contract for a team desperate for help at the position. Recency bias might work in his favor, as he posted 3.0 sacks in the playoffs after logging 7.5 with two forced fumbles in the regular season.
However, Chaisson's consistency was an issue, and he's been a liability against the run for most of his career. The Patriots never overpay to keep their own players in town, and not even Bill Belichick's departure has changed that approach.
Thibodeaux is just 25 years old, and he was considered one of the most physically gifted prospects the league had seen in a while upon entering the NFL. He's not going to have much of a chance to do his thing with Abdul Carter and Brian Burns in the Big Apple, so the Patriots need to make sure to get him in town and use his contract year as motivation to unleash his full potential.
Money shouldn't be an issue in Foxboro. They have a whopping $42.69 million in available cap space, according to Over The Cap, so they have more than enough wiggle room to accommodate his contract and get him a big-money extension if he does well.