While the Green Bay Packers might have been thinking "addition by subtraction" when trading Rashan Gary to the Dallas Cowboys earlier this offseason, fans probably can't help but wonder where the addition is actually going to come from.
Losing Gary was inevitable after his inconsistencies took over the latter half of last season. But, the Packers still need more depth at the defensive end position. That room obviously features Micah Parsons, but not only is Parsons coming off a torn ACL, his running mate is entering a contract year.
Yes, that's Lukas Van Ness, and Packers fans are also wondering when they're going to see bona fide production out of their former first-round pick.
As Van Ness enters this contract year, Bleacher Report's Moe Moton had the idea of Green Bay going after another pass rusher who is publicly available courtesy of the New York Giants: Kayvon Thibodeaux.
If the Packers did pull off a trade for Thibodeaux, they'd be sending a strong message to Van Ness. Basically, Green Bay would have to choose between he and Thibodeaux in a season's time, because Thibodeaux is also in his final year (a fifth-year option).
The Green Bay Packers shouldn't overpay for Kayvon Thibodeaux in a trade
In Moton's piece, he mentions Jordan Raanan's report suggesting a Day 2 pick could get a deal done for Thibodeaux, but for Green Bay, that wouldn't make sense as they're already down top-end draft capital thanks to the Parsons trade.
Not to mention, if Thibodeaux was highly-coveted, he'd have been traded for a Day 2 pick by now. The later this offseason goes, the less the Giants will be able to get in return for Thibodeaux. The fact of the matter is, New York wants to part ways with Thibodeaux.
The Giants have Brian Burns and Abdul Carter locking down the two starting spots, which makes Thibodeaux obviously expendable. If the rest of the league has long-known of Thibodeaux's availability, why would any team jump at the chance to pay up like that?
At this stage in the game, I think the Packers might be able to get a deal done if they offered a combination of two fourth-round selections, or something along those lines. If it took a pair of Day 3 picks (one coming next year, so as to even out the loss of capital), then that makes sense.
Being able to get a potentially-premier pass rusher for that price could be exactly what this Packers defense needs, too. If Van Ness and Thibodeaux are both motivated in contract years, accompanied by a healthy Parsons, then look out.
This could wind up working out well for Green Bay on multiple fronts, too, if Van Ness and Thibodeaux do enough to earn a nice payday next offseason. The Packers would snag a compensatory pick when one of them signs elsewhere and, hopefully, they're able to bring back the other to keep alongside Parsons.