The New York Giants are about to go into hibernation for the next five weeks, but ESPN’s Aaron Schatz thinks they should make a blockbuster deal before training camp opens.
Schatz urged Giants GM Joe Schoen to trade Kayvon Thibodeaux before they start their season at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Sands, West Virginia next month.
The Giants reportedly were trying to trade Thibodeaux around the NFL Draft, but they held firm to their goal of fetching a third-round pick for the 2022 No. 5 overall selection. Thus, they did not trade him and are reportedly set to open the year with him on their roster.
Still, things can change between now and Week 1 of the NFL season, when the Giants host the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 13.
The Cowboys, of course, parted with EDGE rusher Micah Parsons between the start of training camp and their season opener last year, trading the All-Pro to the Green Bay Packers.
ESPN NFL Reporter Urges Giants to Trade Kayvon Thibodeaux
GettyKayvon Thibodeaux has been the subject of trade rumors this offseason.
The Giants are loaded at D-line. They just chose an outside linebacker with a top-5 pick for the the third time in the past five drafts, in Arvell Reese.
It would make a lot of sense for the Giants to trade Thibodeaux, since he is playing on his fifth-year option and the team has balked at locking him up to a long-term contract.
“A year ago, I suggested that the Giants should trade away Thibodeaux. They didn’t do it, so I’m going to suggest it again,” Schatz wrote. “The Giants plan to play rookie Arvell Reese as the weakside linebacker, but they certainly could move him down to an edge position some of the time. Along with Brian Burns and Abdul Carter, that gives them a lot of flexibility at the position.”
The Giants are reportedly set on playing Reese at off-ball linebacker, a spot in which he is inferior than unlocking his game-wrecking potential he showed at Ohio State.
The Giants are only in line to receive a compensatory pick if Thibodeaux leaves, which could be a worse selection than the one they acquire ahead of this season, especially with multiple clubs including the New England Patriots reportedly interested.
“The Giants could get some draft capital for him now instead of waiting,” Schatz wrote. “If they keep Thibodeaux this season, they also then need to stay out of next year’s free agent market to make sure they could get a compensatory pick when Thibodeaux inevitably leaves.
“Given how many teams need another pass rusher, the Giants could build more for their future by sending Thibodeaux elsewhere.”
The Giants Still Could Trade Kayvon Thibodeaux at the Deadline
GettyKayvon Thibodeaux is entering the final year of his contract.
The offseason is the best time to consummate trades. The second-best time is at the trade deadline.
The Giants had set an unofficial deadline of the draft to execute a trade. But that doesn’t mean they couldn’t trade him midseason — particularly if the Reese-off-ball experiment doesn’t go well.
ESPN Reporter Urges Giants to Make Bold Decision About Kayvon Thibodeaux