49ers quietly took a gamble on Patriots’ Keion White in surprising trade move
San Francisco take a flier on a once-promising draft pick.
The San Francisco 49ers have reportedly acquired defensive end Keion White from the New England Patriots. NFL insider Jordan Schultz was first to break the news.
Per Schultz, San Francisco has been "actively shopping for a pass-rusher" following 2022 Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa's season-ending torn ACL injury. After a thorough search, the 49ers struck a deal with the Patriots for White ahead of the league's upcoming Nov. 4 trade deadline.
San Francisco will send a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Patriots in exchange for White and a 2026 seventh-rounder (h/t Tom Pelissero of NFL Network). For a Day 3 swap, the 49ers acquire a low-risk, medium-reward Bosa fill-in.
49ers take a gamble on Patriots’ Keion White in under-the-radar trade
White, 26, is coming off a five-sack campaign but has yet to record a sack in 2025 across five appearances with the Patriots. The writing was on the wall for his time in Foxborough, punctuated by being a healthy scratch in Week 8. Nevertheless, he's Bay Area-bound, where the Niners are betting that a change of scenery will get him back on track.
Health concerns on the edge in San Francisco go beyond Bosa. Bryce Huff and Yetur Gross-Matos are each dealing with hamstring issues (and the latter also hurt his knee). With that in mind, the 49ers are taking a chance on White, a potential rental with benefits.
Not long ago, New England spent the No. 46 overall selection in the 2022 draft on White. He was a near-every-down contributor for them just last year. His pedigree alone is worthy of a flier, which doesn't even include the cost-friendly team control the 49ers are getting with him.
Signed through next season, White has a chance to prove himself as a mainstay in San Francisco. No one's expecting him to be a one-for-one replacement for Bosa. However, if the ex-Patriots defender can be serviceable, this move could age nicely for the 49ers.
Boasting a 44.2 overall Pro Football Focus grade, White ranks 115th out of 118 qualified options at his position. In other words, the eye test has matched his empty box score. He's equally struggled as a pass-rusher and run-stopper.
Colts urged to trade Anthony Richardson for 2 assets to cut ties on huge draft bust
The Indianapolis Colts would've never wanted this to even be a possible conversation.
They drafted Anthony Richardson with the No. 4 overall pick in 2023. He was supposed to finally be their quarterback answer after wandering in the wilderness following Andrew Luck's surprise retirement.
Instead, two-and-change years later, Richardson is in trade talks before the Nov. 4 NFL deadline.
It's a weirdly OK problem for the Colts to have, because they're 7-1, and Daniel Jones is shining brightly as their QB.
Maybe it is time to cut the losses and trade Richardson rather than having to figure out what to do with him later. If an offer comes in, maybe it's the right thing.
ESPN's Ben Solak has suggested one in a new analysis out Tuesday, writing that the Colts should trade Richardson to the Minnesota Vikings for a third- and a sixth-round pick.
"The price (a third-round pick) might look big," Solak writes. "But Trey Lance was moved for a fourth-round pick two years into his career, and Richardson has been better and played more at a similar career stage. Plus, there's a fifth-rounder going back."
Minnesota could use the dart throw, given Carson Wentz is out for the year and J.J. McCarthy is just coming back from an ankle injury and hasn't looked particularly polished when he's been out there.
"I don't know how bright of a future Richardson has in the league," Solak writes. "If he is to find one, it's hard to imagine a better place to rebound than in Minnesota under (Kevin) O'Connell. As evidenced by quarterbacks across the league, almost anything is possible in the right new home."
Jones is a great example of quarterback redemption.
Richardson probably won't turn it around in Indy. But maybe somewhere else, he'll have a chance.
