Kayvon Thibodeaux Reveals Why He Once Contemplated Quitting the Game

Giants rookie edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux once nearly walked away from the game of football. Here’s why and what he envisions for himself for the future.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
May 13, 2022 3:21 PM EDT

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New York Giants

New York Giants' first-round draft pick Kayvon Thibodeaux came to the NFL as one of the more polished rookies in the 2022 draft, but still, the novelty of putting on the Giants jersey hasn't quite sunk in yet.

"You know, I put (the Giants jersey) on, but I felt like I'm not there yet. I feel like there's still some hoops and hurdles," Thibodeaux told reporters after going through the first day of the three-day rookie minicamp Friday.

"There are still some prelims I’ve got to go through to be part of the team. But I don't have words for it. It still hasn't hit me. I feel like it’s going to hit me once we get into it. I heard some music, and I almost cried. I said, 'Man, we're here.'"

At one point in his young life, he nearly decided that would have steered him far away from the football field. In a video produced by the team that offered a behind-the-scenes look at their draft process, Thibodeaux revealed that he nearly walked away from football when he was in the eighth grade.

"It wasn't necessarily a quit. It wasn't like I was on the field, and I quit. It was a conversation I had with my mom talking about how I wanted to take a year off from football and go play basketball," Thibodeaux explained.

"It was an idea for me because being a kid, you see all these statistics, and you see all of you guys creating narratives and frames on how hard it is to make it to the NFL. For me, I had doubts in my mind. And then, I had to dial back to my faith and realize that there would be statistics with everything. It's up to you to create your own legacy."

He'll get his chance to carve his legacy in which he aspires to join some of the Giants' greatest defenders. And he feels that playing in Giants' defensive coordinator Wink MArtindakle's system will give him a great opportunity to reach that goal.

"Yeah, I lick my chops. It's good," Thibodeaux said of the role Martindale has planned for him in this defense. "I just gotta keep making sure I get all the ins and outs of the game."

In three seasons at Oregon, Thibodeaux managed to record 19 sacks, and 35.5 tackles for a loss won't be painted into a corner as far as his role is concerned.

"It's a variety. For me, I love being able to do a lot of different things, and I feel like with Coach Wink and (outside linebackers) Coach Drew (Wilkins), they put together a plan for the whole system. Anybody can play any position," he said.

As Thibodeaux acclimates himself to life as a New York Giant--he gushed that he already has learned a lot of new things to help his game, though he didn't reveal what those things were--he's taking the experience in stride.

I savor every moment," he said. "When you've been through everything and your life has brought you to this point--MetLife (Stadium), the American Dream (mall), the New York Giants-- are you serious? You know what I mean?"

That's why his goal is simple.

"I've just got to do everything I can to keep getting better," he said.