Despite having already signed linebacker Dre'Mont Jones, who ranked 11th league-wide last year in quarterback knockdowns, the New England Patriots should not be done adding to their pass rush this offseason.
The team was 22nd in the NFL in sacks per game during the 2025 campaign and must continue adding talent at the edge spots to improve in this area.
A recent mock draft from FanSided’s Ian Harper has New England addressing that need by dealing their third (95th overall) and seventh (247th overall) round picks to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for 2024 Pro Bowl edge rusher Jonathan Greenard
Where acquiring Jonathan Greenard would help the Patriots
After racking up at least 12 sacks in both 2023 and 2024, his production this past year was limited by a shoulder injury that ultimately required surgery and caused him to miss time.
The six-year NFL veteran had been unable to suit up in just two contests over the prior two seasons (including playoffs), but in 2025 managed only 12 games, recording 38 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, three sacks, 12 quarterback hits, three passes defensed, and a forced fumble.
However, Greenard still ranked seventh league-wide with a pressure rate of 13.5%, and 30th out of 115 edge defenders in total QB pressures with 47, despite missing those five games.
His overall Pro Football Focus grade on the year of 74.2 was also higher than those put up by both of New England's 2025 starters, Harold Landry III (70.9) and K'Lavon Chaisson (60.4).
If Greenard can return to form and again be a player like the one who recorded 111 tackles, 33 tackles for loss, 24.5 sacks, and five forced fumbles over a span of back-to-back seasons not too long ago, acquiring him would certainly be worth the proposed level of draft capital investment for the Patriots.
How the Patriots should approach a Greenard trade
New England must also acknowledge the reality that there’s a chance the soon-to-be 29-year-old doesn’t get all the way back to that level of statistical highs, in which case parting with a Day 2 selection for a declining player would be a disappointing result.
Additionally, Greenard, who is due $19 million in 2026, is reportedly seeking a “market correction” that would give him a compensation raise over the two remaining years on his contract, a situation the Patriots would inherit in a trade.
Though some potential competition for Greenard exists, with the Philadelphia Eagles rumored to be interested, the team should wait out Minnesota a bit before making any deal. The Vikings are in a tight spot, cap-wise, and while they can create about $12 million in relief by trading Greenard, they can also create that same extra money by cutting him before June 1.
This adds a bit of urgency to the situation, meaning the New England front office might be able to hold tight until a slightly lesser offer gets the job done. Currently, The Athletic’s Alec Lewis reports acquiring Greenard would take “a sizable return in draft capital,” while ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler says sources tell him it would cost a second or third round pick.
Should a third-rounder end up being necessary to get a deal done, it’s worth taking a look at, but the Patriots have no need to rush to make it happen and should balk if the price goes up much higher.
With Landry and Jones already incurring a combined cap hit of $23.5 million next season, the proposition of about doubling their spending at the position with the addition of Greenard (and his desired pay bump), plus surrendering picks in the process, for a player with recent injury history has some definite risks.
The Vikings may eventually reach a point where accepting a fourth-round pick is better than getting back nothing for Greenard if those potential savings from parting ways with him are indeed needed.
Especially ahead of a draft, New England vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf has noted “offers a lot of different depth” at edge rusher; the team is better off taking a wait-and-see approach here.