New York Giants 2025 Training Camp Preview: OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux

Will Kayvon Thibodeaux live up to his hype for the New York Giants in 2025?

New York Giants linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux | Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

The NY Giants have invested heavily in bringing their defensive line talent back to the elite level it was when they were winning Super Bowls.

Through the draft, the Giants spent first-round picks on Dexter Lawrence in 2019, Kayvon Thibodeaux in 2022, and most recently Abdul Carter this past NFL Draft.

During the 2024 offseason, the Giants also traded for Brian Burns from the Carolina Panthers, signing him to a long-term contract extension.

The Giants have utilized free agency and late-round draft picks to bolster the depth of their line and have now assembled what is arguably the best front unit in the NFL.

Part of the defensive front reaching those expectations depends on Thibodeaux taking that next step in his development.

After being one of the most dominant pass-rushers in college football, Thibodeaux has had an up-and-down NFL career so far that saw him pick up 11.5 sacks in 2023’s uber-aggressive defense under Wink Martindale.

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Kayvon Thibodeaux, OLB

Height: 6-5
Weight: 258
EXP: 4 Years
School: Oregon
How Acquired: D2-’22

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2024 in Review

New York Giants linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Thibodeaux’s 2024 season was an embattled one once again, as a wrist injury sustained in week five against the Seahawks would keep him out until week 12 against the Buccaneers.

Before the injury, Thibodeaux seemed like he was finally finding his rhythm as a pass-rusher with five pressures in weeks four and five.

Thibodeaux was relatively quiet for most of the season following his return, but once again settled in and started to find his rhythm later in the year.

On film, Thibodeaux looked more engaged than ever before defensively, as he was asked to drop into coverage less and was allowed to play more to his style, attacking and being aggressive.

Run defense in 2024 was significantly improved compared to the first two years of his NFL career.

With how good the film still looks, it’s up to Thibodeaux to take one more step developmentally before he’s knocking on the door of being an elite edge rusher.

Contract/Cap Info

New York Giants linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux | John Jones-Imagn Images

When the Giants drafted Thibodeaux with the fifth overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, he signed a fully guaranteed four-year contract worth $31,339,040.

Since Thibodeaux was a first-round pick, the Giants were given a fifth-year option that would allow them to keep him for a fifth year, and they exercised that option this offseason.

Since Thibodeaux has been a consistent contributor for the Giants, he fell into the Playtime tier - this means that he will make the average of the 3rd to 20th highest-salaried players at his position over the past five seasons.

Thibodeaux’s new cap number for 2026 will be a fully guaranteed $14,571,000.

2025 Preview

New York Giants linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux | John Jones-Imagn Images

Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen is in his second year with the Giants, allowing him the opportunity to figure out what worked and what didn’t in 2024.

With the return of both Burns and Lawrence in the front four, as well as the additions of Carter, Alexander, and Golston, there might be too many talented defenders for opposing offenses to contain.

Thibodeaux should be able to produce this year, but even if he’s not “the guy”, he needs to be good enough to force defenses to gameplan for him.

Production marks are challenging to set, considering the immense talent surrounding Thibodeaux. It’s tough to predict which player will produce, but the film needs to showcase a player worthy of keeping around long-term, even with Carter in the mix in the edge room.

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