Why the Giants Are in No Rush to Deal OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux

There are just certain offseason stories that refuse to die, and when it comes to New York Giants outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux’s future with the team and whether he will be traded at some point before the league’s trade deadline, that continues to be one that national analysts have refused to let go of.

The latest comes from FOX Sports’ Greg Auman, who, in his list of top five remaining players and landing spots, has Thibodeaux at No. 5, going to the New England Patriots for a reunion with former Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen.

Auman’s biggest argument is that the 25-year-old is set to make $14.75 million on the option year of his rookie deal and that with the Giants already having Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, and Arvell Reese on the roster, New York can afford to spare a pass rusher to a needy team if it means unloading a hefty salary being paid to a guy who projects as a rotational pass rusher.

The Giants, at least so far, have given no indication of being desperate to unload their 2022 first-round draft pick for his salary for the sake of their salary cap health.

Barring anything crazy happening that warrants further spending on the roster between now and the start of training camp, Big Blue has $10,243,045 in space, which should be more than enough to get them through training camp, again, assuming there are no further injuries warranting a spending splurge.

And once the 90-man roster is trimmed down, a good number of those dozen-plus veteran minimum deals the team handed out in free agency will get credited back to their cap, with that $10.243 million having the potential to rise by anywhere from $2 to $4+ million, depending on how things shake out.

In other words, for the foreseeable future, the Giants don’t have a problem with carrying Thibodeaux’s salary, even if it means he won’t play every down.

Already this spring, Carter has suffered an ankle injury, which head coach John Harbaugh said didn’t appear to be serious. But while there is optimism about Carter being ready for camp, he’s not ready until he’s ready, and his injury is a reminder of how quickly the depth at outside linebacker can dwindle.

The reason why Thibodeaux is still a member of this team is that apparently no one around the league has thought enough of the player to offer the Giants a Day 2 draft pick for a 25-year-old pass rusher who has missed 12 games over the last two seasons.

That leaves the Giants in a win-win situation because Thibodeaux is sure to be motivated to play lights out this year as he searches for his next contract, leaving the Giants, who are looking to rebound from years of disappointing football, to benefit.

And should Thibodeaux outplay his projected market value, which Spotrac has as $21.3 million per year based on a four-year, $85.088 million contract?

Chances are they’d get their coveted Day 2 draft pick in the form of a comp pick in a better late-than-never scenario since the pick wouldn't be available for them to use until 2028.

In the interim, the Giants, in not settling for anything less for the pass rusher than a Day 2 pick, would end up the winner either way, as they'd have a highly motivated pass rusher on their hands.

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