Giants Urged to Trade Underachieving Edge-Rusher in SHOCKING Move to NFC Contender That Could SHIFT the Playoff Picture

The New York Giants have been loading up on elite edge-rushers the last two years, in part because Kayvon Thibodeaux hasn’t lived up to expectations. It makes this the perfect time to trade the fifth-overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft to a major contender within the NFC.

It’s a scenario mapped out by ESPN’s Seth Walder, who thinks the Giants should get together with the Green Bay Packers and decide Thibodeaux’s future. The cost of sending a young edge defender who still has upside to the Pack would be a 2026 second-round pick.

Walder believes “there is nothing inherently wrong with having three talented players at edge rusher, because it’s a premium position and the Giants can rotate snaps. But it makes sense for them to divest from Thibodeaux. That’s because they are still in a rebuild and noncontenders in 2025; they are extremely invested at the position after spending top-five picks on Thibodeaux and Abdul Carter and after trading for and handing a big contract to Brian Burns. They have plenty of holes to fill in 2026, the earliest they could feasibly contend.”

That’s a solid argument, and so is the Packers being “natural trade partners here. This is a team in contention now, but with a major need at edge. Green Bay’s current grouping of Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, Kingsley Enagbare and fourth-round pick Barryn Sorrell probably isn’t cutting it — the team ranked 26th in pass rush win rate last season. Thibodeaux would certainly help the cause.”

Gambling on a second-round choice being more valuable than Thibodeaux’s potential offers a risk for the Giants. They can mitigate the risk by leaning on Burns, Carter and a secret star to keep their pass rush strong.

Giants Still Waiting for Real Kayvon Thibodeaux

What is the real version of Thibodeaux? The player who logged 11.5 sacks in 2023 or the one who mustered just 9.5 quarterback takedowns across his other two seasons in the NFL?

Walder acknowledged the numbers haven’t been good, but he gives Thibodeaux a mitigating factor for his struggles. As Walder explained, Thibodeaux “has 21.0 sacks in three seasons with the Giants, along with a 16% pass rush win rate at edge that’s essentially average for a starter at the position. But given his draft pedigree and young age (24), he absolutely still offers star-level upside. Plus, he’s been on a bad team the past two years — it’s undoubtedly harder for pass rushers to generate big numbers when trailing.”

While there’s some truth to pass-rushers getting fewer opportunities to apply pressure against teams running down the clock, it doesn’t completely explain Thibodeaux’s failings. He simply hasn’t taken full advantage of the talent around him, talent that’s included the disruptive Burns, as well as other worldly nose tackle Dexter Lawrence II.

Thibodeaux has had enough opportunities to exploit one-on-one matchups, but he’s never been dominant in the way other Giants edge-rushers look this offseason.

Giants Have Resources to Grant Kayvon Thibodeaux Trade

While Thibodeaux continues to be the subject of trade rumors, his fellow top-five pick Carter is already in terrifying form at training camp. This rep of Carter winning clean off the edge, highlighted by SNY.tv’s Connor Hughes, demonstrated the kind of rapid takeoff and closing speed Thibodeaux has rarely managed.

Carter is showing signs of being the genuine game-changer the Giants need at the perimeter of their front seven, but he’s not alone. Burns is also readying to build on an uneven debut season with Big Blue, thanks to a new role.

Moving Burns and Carter all over formations will help the Giants disguise pressure looks and disrupt blocking schemes, especially when new arrival Chauncey Golston can also slide inside or win off the edge.

Golston’s numbers aren’t any better than those of Thibodeaux, but they are at least trending upwards, according to PFF Betting.

There are enough moving parts for the Giants to part ways with Thibodeaux, provided general manager Joe Schoen is prepared to give up on his inaugural draft pick. Even if Schoen isn’t ready, Thibodeaux is still likely to be relegated to a situational role.

The problem is he’s never been efficient enough rushing the passer to make people believe he’ll be any more effective with fewer opportunities. It means a trade increasingly looks like the smartest move for team and player.