All offseason, there’s been widespread speculation that the New York Giants will trade former first-round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux.
It makes sense. The Giants have a bit of a logjam at pass rusher, especially after selecting Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese with the fifth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
With reigning All-Pro Brian Burns and last year’s No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter ahead of him on the depth chart, it feels like Thibodeaux is the odd man out.
But even after reports that New York was looking to deal Thibodeaux entering Day 2 of April’s draft, he still remains a Giant, and it feels like it’s going to stay that way at least for another season.
But why? What is keeping Big Blue from dealing the former Oregon standout?
Giants Don’t Want to Get Worse by Trading Kayvon Thibodeaux
According to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, the reason why the New York Giants don’t want to trade their former first-round edge rusher is that they feel a deal doesn’t make them any better.
In fact, it would make them worse.
ESPN had a panel of their football minds propose trades for Thibodeaux’s services, and they included a wide variety of returns, such as Day 2 and Day 3 draft picks in the 2027 NFL Draft.
But Raanan claims none of the trades are worth it for the Giants, and they would rather have the extra pass rusher instead.
“But in the end, does it make the Giants better this season? No, it makes them worse. Harbaugh is not interested in a rebuild. He wants to compete for a playoff spot this season. So given that the Giants were originally looking for better than a third-round pick for Thibodeaux, they pass on a third-round pick next year,” wrote Raanan.
“The Giants could always reconsider their stance on Thibodeaux at the trade deadline depending on the state of the team. But if he has a strong season, they could franchise-tag and trade him next year. None of these offers is what the Giants are looking for at the moment. It would have to be a deal that absolutely blows them away.”
The Case for Trading Kayvon Thibodeaux
The New York Giants would be taking a step back by trading away Thibodeaux, but it may be beneficial for the long-term outlook of the franchise.
New York doesn’t have a lot of draft capital to work with. Even head coach John Harbaugh said when he first arrived: “For a bad team, why don’t we have more picks?” via the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz.
If it’s more draft picks Harbaugh wants, the easiest way to do that would be trading Thibodeaux.
It would even lighten the burden of the Giants’ current cap crunch. Right now, New York has roughly $10.2 million to work with, per Over the Cap.
Thibodeaux is currently playing on his fifth-year option, which is costing the Giants $14.75 million.
Trading him would alleviate the burden of that pretty substantial cap hit and give New York some more flexibility in making additions throughout the summer.
But there’s a saying in the NFL, and it’s that you can never have too many pass rushers.
Maybe the insurance Thibodeaux is providing is just too valuable for the Giants to pass up.
Giants Insider Reveals Why Team Won’t Trade Kayvon Thibodeaux