Source: 49ers trade for Patriots defensive end Keion White

Cam Inman, The Mercury News on Oct 28, 2025

Published in Football

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SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Desperate for help at defensive end, the San Francisco 49ers agreed Tuesday to take in Keion White, a New England Patriots 2023 draft flop.

The 49ers are sending a 2026 sixth-round draft pick in exchange for White and a 2026 seventh-round pick, a league source confirmed. The deal, first reported by NFL Network, won’t become official until White passes a physical.

White (6-foot-5, 285 pounds) has no sacks and no quarterback hits through 123 snaps and five games this season. He was inactive for Sunday’s 32-13 home win over Cleveland.

A second-round draft pick out of Georgia Tech, White opened last season with 2 1/2 sacks against the Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow and then 1 1/2 sacks in Week 2 against former Seattle Seahawk Geno Smith. He finished with five sacks last season, which included a visit to the 49ers where he hit Brock Purdy twice in a 30-13 Patriots’ defeat.

White had one sack as a Patriots rookie, after a college career that began with him as an Old Dominion tight end before he switched to defensive end in 2019 and transferred to Georgia Tech to play in 2021-22.

The NFL trade deadline is not until Tuesday, Nov. 4, and while the 49ers could remain active in the market, dealing for White fits a key criteria. One, they needed a defensive end, and, two, his affordable contract runs through 2026. He is making $1.5 million this season, $1.8 million next season.

Such a modest acquisition seems more in line with the 49ers’ 2025 strategy than going big-game hunting for, say, Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson, although he and other proven veterans still could be moved in the next week.

The 49ers have been active annually at the trade deadline, and while last year only netted backup defensive tackle Khalil Davis, past seasons brought in defensive ends Chase Young (2023), Randy Gregory (2023), Charles Omenihu (2021) and Jordan Willis (2020), not to mention the deals for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (2017), wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (2019) and running back Christian McCaffrey (2022).

The 49ers (5-3) lost a defensive end earlier Tuesday when Trevis Gipson was signed off their practice squad by the Carolina Panthers. Gipson had no sacks and no quarterback hits while playing the past four games for a short-handed unit.

Not only did the 49ers lose marquee defensive end Nick Bosa in Week 3, injuries have sidelined Bryce Huff (hamstring), Yetur Gross-Matos (hamstring, knee) and Sam Okuayinonu, who was carted away from Sunday’s 26-15 loss in Houston with an ankle injury.

With another road trip looming this Sunday at the New York Giants, the 49ers tried out four defensive ends Tuesday: Clelin Ferrell (a 2023 starter for the 49ers), Kingsley Jonathan (formerly of the Bills), Andrew Farmer (was in the Denver Broncos camp) and Casey Toohill (Stanford product).

The 49ers also made a minor move on their offensive line, with Andre Dillard replacing Brandon Parker on the practice squad.

Rather than bump up their practice schedule ahead of another 10 a.m. PT start next Sunday, the 49ers will maintain afternoon practices this week.

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