NFL Trade Speculation Hints Chargers Should Be Next Team Calling Giants

The Chargers should call the Giants about a trade. Why not lean into the Harbaughs and Joe Hortiz connections?

Jim Harbaugh | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Chargers weren’t the usually conservative front office making a blockbuster trade ahead of the NFL draft. 

That honor went to another team in the AFC that happened to trade for Dexter Lawrence, coughing up a top-10 pick in the process. 

But perhaps the Chargers should give the New York Giants a ring anyway, right? There’s the fun Jim Harbaugh-John Harbaugh connection there. And the Giants feel like they might be sellers as they reshape the roster in John’s vision for his program. 

Granted, the focus now shifts to Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux. The Giants are now less likely to deal him after the Lawrence trade, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, but everyone has a price. 

Just ask those Giants. 

Chargers should call Giants about Kayvon Thibodeaux trade

Kayvon Thibodeaux | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Why Thibodeaux?

He’s been in trade buzz for what feels like forever. ESPN's Adam Schefter just once again listed him as a name who could be a trade candidate in the coming days around, if not during, the NFL draft itself. 

But again, why Thibodeaux?

He’s a former fifth-overall pick who at one point hit on an 11.5-sack season as a sophomore. Things haven’t been as great since, but it’s easy to buy into the idea that some of that has to do with his poor surroundings. 

Thibodeaux is still just 25 years old. And when we’re talking about trade negotiations, the Giants don’t exactly have a lot of leverage: It’s obvious things are bad, he could be moved and, to top it all off, he’s on the final year of his rookie deal at a $14.75 million cap number before a possible trip to free agency.

That’s a strong point of leverage for the Chargers, who could then turn around and potentially get him on an extension at the time of acquiring him via trade. 

And if all this sounds familiar or hits Chargers fans with deja vu, that’s almost by design: This is pretty similar to the trade they pulled for Odafe Oweh last season. He was a former first-round pick who needed a change of scenery too. 

Granted, the Chargers decided they didn’t want to pay Oweh and he left during free agency, hence even having this conversation right now. But Oweh’s play, indeed, showed the importance of getting a quality third edge rusher with upside in the door. 

Is Thibodeaux that guy for 2026 and possibly beyond? Perhaps, but it would be hard to complain about throwing him in a rotation with Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu. And it would be even harder to complain about letting Mack take him under his wing as a mentor. 

Again, a lot of this is about strong leverage for the Chargers. They’re one of the teams better suited to deal with the Giants, too, given the Harbaughs and the Joe Hortiz connection. They could easily stand pat and take a pass-rusher as early as Round 1 this week, but there are so many dots here, it’s hard not to connect them right now.

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