Why Trading Kayvon Thibodeaux Is a Luxury the Giants Can’t Afford (Yet)

With defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence having been traded to Cincinnati, the New York Giants not only picked up a net $13 million savings, but they also got a second draft pick in the first round, No. 10 overall.

But there are still some who are in favor of the Giants trading outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux, who carries a $14.751 million cap hit in this, the option year of his rookie contract, not only to save the cap space but also to open the door for second-year pass rusher Abdul Carter to get more snaps.

But it doesn’t sound as though the Giants are in any rush to move Thibodeaux, at least according to an NFL Network report, which characterized the chances of a Thibodeaux trade before the draft as “unlikely” despite the Giants having reportedly received calls about the 26-year-old.

The Giants, as the NFL Network reported, are going to hold on to Thibodeaux for now, as there is no sense of urgency to move him. And there are three very good reasons why this is the smart approach.

Weak Market Interest

Sep 28, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux (5)reacts during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at MetLife Stadium. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Giants were probably giddy with excitement when they found a trade partner willing to give up a first-round draft pick for soon-to-be 29-year-old Dexter Lawrence, who is coming off a statistically poor season.

So imagine what they must be thinking they think a 26-year-old Thibodeaux might be worth, given that he plays a premium position and doesn't have as much mileage on his wheels.

While no one is suggesting Thibodeaux is worth a top-10 pick due in part to his injury history, his ceiling remains high enough to warrant a Day 2 asking price.

In 2023, he recorded 11.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, and 50 tackles (all career highs). Given that flash of productivity, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Giants are holding out for a Day 2 pick for the former Oregon star in a trade.

Clearly, they’re not getting anything close to that kind of offer from interested trade partners at the moment.

Thibodeaux doesn’t have the resume that Lawrence does in terms of three Pro Bowls and two second-team All-Pro nods, but again, he plays a premium position and is still young enough to turn things around and cash in on a new payday if he delivers a strong 2026 season.

That brings us to the next point regarding why a trade is unlikely to happen this year.

The One-Year Rental Hurdle

If the Giants were going to trade Thibodeaux, they should have done so last year, allowing teams to have him for two seasons rather than for the one-year rental they’d be getting this year if they were to acquire him.

Any smart general manager looking to acquire Thibodeaux will more than likely want to ensure that he’s under contract beyond 2026.

And therein lies the potential problem. Thibodeaux, perhaps having taken notice of how Lawrence put himself into a corner by agreeing to a four-year extension that quickly became outdated thanks to the exploding league-wide salary cap and the market for interior defensive linemen, probably won’t want to repeat that mistake.

Thibodeaux is probably going to want to play out 2026 and raise his pass-rushing numbers to justify a huge payday.

That factor could also explain why teams might not be willing to give the Giants what they want for Thibodeaux in a trade.

Protecting Dennard Wilson’s New Scheme

April 7: New York Giants defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson speaks to the media via video conference call. — New York Giants defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson speaks to the media via video conference call. | Patricia Traina, New York Giants On SI

Although the Giants have won only seven games over the last two years, they are not at a point where the roster needs to be completely torn down and rebuilt, a belief that was evident in their free-agency activity.

To ship another key defensive player out the door after creating a hole on the defensive line that now must be addressed would fly in the face of the idea that the Giants are trying to reload for a playoff run rather than rebuild.

Thibodeaux doesn’t get enough credit for his play against the run. Since entering the league in 2022 as the fifth overall pick in that year’s draft, Thibodeaux has posted 31 tackles for loss against the run, 12th most over that period among the 24 outside linebackers with at least 2,000 run defense snaps.

Breaking that stat down even further, Thibodeaux’s percentage of run defense tackles (10.7%) ranks seventh out of nine first-round outside linebackers who played between 2022 and 2025, yet another factor that teams are likely to take into consideration when assessing his trade value.

It goes without saying that the Giants' run defense has not been a strength in several years. During Thibodeaux’s four seasons with the team, the run defense has ranked no higher than 27 (twice, in 2022 and 2024) and was 31st last year.

One might argue that the run defense can’t get any worse if the Giants do decide to move on from Thibodeaux, but with a new scheme coming in, the last thing the Giants probably want to do is hamstring defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson any further by subtracting more pieces at this time.

This could be especially true given the lack of blue-chip depth in this year’s draft class and the Giants' other needs, where they’re probably not going to prioritize outside linebackers in this draft.

The Likely Outcome

The Giants have no reason to move Thibodeaux right now, not unless they get a sweetheart offer, which, unfortunately, they are not going to get, given that his injury history has stunted his ability to post the massive numbers that might draw interest on the level of a Maxx Crosby might.

The Giants are likely going to hold onto Thibodeaux for the year, giving them a three-deep rotation at edge rusher, which Big Blue hopes to get more out of with Wilson’s more aggressive schemes.

Beyond this year, whether Thibodeaux remains with the team all depends on how he performs this year and whether his next contract demands are reasonable, or if the Giants feel they can get a high comp pick for him if Thibodeaux insists on taking the big payday rather than going to a team that might offer him a better fit to continue his productivity.

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