New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots may be riding a five-game win streak, but they aren’t content with their early success in the 2025 campaign. That was evident on Tuesday, when the front office swung three big moves, with one of them seeing defensive end Keion White get traded to the San Francisco 49ers.
A second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, White never panned out with the Pats, despite enjoying a strong start to the 2024 campaign. White played in five games for New England this season, racking up just six tackles, and after being a healthy scratch in Week 8, it became clear his time with the team could be coming to an end.
With White no longer being part of head coach Mike Vrabel’s plans, the team opted to ship him and a 2026 seventh-round pick to the 49ers in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick. White figures to help a depleted 49ers’ defensive line, which has struggled since Nick Bosa suffered a torn ACL back in Week 3.
At first glance, this trade appears to be more of a win for San Fran than New England, given the price tag for White and its need for defensive line help. However, an important new detail of this deal emerged on Wednesday morning that could end up changing how this trade is viewed.
“The 7th-round pick going back to San Francisco is conditional: If Keion White is active for 7 games, New England keeps its 7th and then would own 11 picks. Building for now and the future,” Tom Pelissero of NFL Network shared in a post on X.
Essentially, if White is active for seven of the 49ers’ final nine games, the Patriots would keep their seventh-round pick, meaning they would have only had to give up the third-year pass rusher for the sixth-round pick they already received.
Assuming White can pick up his new team’s system quickly and stay healthy, this condition could be met, which would give the Patriots an 11th pick in the 2026 draft. So even though White is no longer in New England, it will be worth keeping tabs on his status with San Francisco throughout the remainder of the season.
