Andrew Thomas Remains the Ironclad Anchor of New York's Offense

Over the past seven seasons, since he was drafted No. 4 overall by the franchise in 2020, the New York Giants seem to get an annual reminder of just how important left tackle Andrew Thomas is to both the improvement and stability of their offensive line.

The Giants' offense certainly benefited from more reliable protection up front, as quarterback Jaxson Dart rarely had to worry about pressures breaking through on Thomas’ side of the line, which opened up their overall production, which had been a basement-level operation in 2024.

However, the offensive line was no stranger to some changes over the course of the offseason, including one of the five starters—right guard Greg Van Roten—exiting from the franchise in free agency and being replaced by rookie Francis Mauigoa, who is shifting over from playing right tackle in college to serve in that role.

While it was a relief to see Thomas finally return to a double-digit-game campaign after playing fewer than 10 games in each of the previous two seasons, his health and high-level performance remain question marks as he ages.

If the Giants want to reach greater heights under John Harbaugh, one player they’ll need to keep up his pace is Thomas, and hope he hasn’t hit his peak too soon.

Andrew Thomas, OL

Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 315 lbs.
Exp: 7 Years
School: Georgia
How Acquired: D1-'20

2025 in Review

Dec 14, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants offensive tackle Andrew Thomas (78) enters the field prior to the first quarter against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Thomas was largely unavailable in the 2023 and 2024 campaigns due to lingering lower-body injuries, but last fall, he finally turned a corner in his health, playing 13 games (all starts) and logging 802 offensive snaps.

The 27-year-old’s boost in availability also meant one of his best displays of pass protection to date, as Thomas recorded an 87.2 pass blocking grade by allowing a career-low one sack, two hits, and 13 total pressures with just three penalties against him.

His stat line marked the fifth straight season in which Thomas allowed fewer than five sacks and the fourth year in the last five with fewer than 20 pressures, both telling signs that time and relenting ailments have not meant much to the consistency of his blocking.

Thomas’ lone sack came in Week 11 against the Green Bay Packers, but even with having to handle some of their great edge rushers, such as Micah Parsons, that pressure was the only one he succumbed to in 72 snaps during the Giants’ home loss.

Even against a couple of the best pass-rushing defenses in the league, like the Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys, Thomas was elite and almost never gave up ground to his quarterback. He finished with a 94% pass block win rate and a 28% rate on double teams, good for the eighth-best numbers among the NFL’s top offensive tackles.

Thomas performed just as well in setting up for the rushing attack as well, earning a career-high 84.6 run blocking grade that was critical in helping the Giants create the league’s No. 5 ground game by the end of the 2025 season.

Contract/Cap Info

The Giants and Thomas agreed to a five-year, $117.5 million contract extension during the 2023 offseason. The deal was added to the end of his rookie contract and runs through the 2029 season.

Earlier this spring, the team converted $14.685 million of Thomas’s 2026 base salary into a bonus to create $11.01 million in new cap space. The move will jump his cap numbers by about $3.67 million in each of the next three seasons until he reaches the end of his contract in 2029.

As for this season, the current arrangement will pay Thomas a base salary of $1,215,000, a prorated signing bonus of $10,562,250, and a $1,000,000-per-game roster bonus. His cap number comes to $13,031,956, which is currently the sixth-largest cap hit on the Giants’ active roster.

It almost seems foolish to talk about the franchise parting ways with their All-Pro left tackle before the season arrives and at this stage of his lofty contract, but a departure would bring huge penalties to New York, including $18,387,250 in dead money, and only $5,355,294 in cap savings.

2026 Preview

The story with Andrew Thomas has felt largely the same since he joined the Giants as a high first-round pick in 2020–if he can stay healthy and on the field on Sunday, the offense is in a much better place. Nothing should change with that narrative as the 2026 season draws near.

Sure, the veteran offensive tackle didn’t appear in a full slate of games (something he hasn’t achieved in the past four seasons), but his yearly numbers have only managed to improve through his record-setting campaign last season that helped move an offense led largely by a rookie quarterback in Jaxson Dart.

Putting Thomas together with the second consecutive year with the Giants’ starting five led to a season in which the team might not have won a ton of games, but they had risen from the basement to the middle of the pack in total offensive production and were competing down the stretch of most of their defeats.

Thomas has and remains the anchor of the Giants’ offensive front and a key factor in how far their ambitions to become a more explosive unit will go this season. If he can get a full slate under his belt and his fellow blockers follow suit, he has shown no other signs of slowing down on his ability to keep Dart’s blindside clean and spar with the game’s best opposing rushers.

New York certainly believes it has not seen the best from Thomas yet, as evidenced by the lofty contract extension it was willing to offer him before he wrapped up his rookie deal.

He could come back out in 2026 and surprise a lot of people around the league again, but as we’ve stressed before, the sky is the limit for the veteran left tackle so long as he avoids the annoying injuries that have been the only taint on his seven-year resume in the NFL.

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