The New York Giants have already traded away 1 elite defensive player since hiring head coach John Harbaugh, who sent NFL All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for a 2026 1st-round pick.
All signs point to the Giants shipping another elite defender elsewhere sooner rather than later.
ESPN’s Seth Walder proposed a trade on Wednesday that would send edge rusher and former 1st-round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux to the New England Patriots in exchange for a 2027 3rd-round pick.
“Thibodeaux is playing on his $14.75 million fifth-year option and is set to be a free agent at the end of this season,” Walder wrote. “While there was an argument for having him as a third edge rusher behind Brian Burns and Abdul Carter in the past, New York now also has first-round pick Arvell Reese, who plays linebacker and edge. To keep Thibodeaux around at this price point to potentially be the team’s No. 4 edge rusher isn’t ideal. So the Giants need to find a trade partner who needs an edge rusher, has the cap room to take on Thibodeaux’s 2026 contract, and is an immediate contender, given his pending free agent status. New England fits the bill and then some because Thibodeaux offers long-term upside if the Patriots decide to re-sign him.”
Wherever Thibodeaux Goes, He’s Getting Paid
The Athletic’s Dan Duggan put him at the top of his list of NFL players with the “most on the line” in 2026 — and a major motivation to play well.
“The Giants listened to trade calls on Thibodeaux this offseason, but elected to keep the No. 5 pick from the 2022 draft when the offers were underwhelming,” Duggan wrote on July 20. “Thibodeaux was available because the Giants traded for Brian Burns in 2024 and drafted Abdul Carter in 2025. Thibodeaux is set to earn $14.75 million on his fifth-year option as a backup. Though he won’t start, Thibodeaux will have opportunities to rush the passer. If he produces an 11.5-sack season as he did in 2023, a monster payday awaits. If he struggles in a reduced role, he could be headed for a prove-it deal in free agency.”
Best Trade Offer Revealed by NFL Insider
Duggan recently revealed the Giants received offers for Thibodeaux, a former No. 5 overall pick, but also exactly what those offers were and why the franchise didn’t bite.
“The Giants took trade calls on Thibodeaux this offseason, but they were never looking to give him away, so they kept him when the best offer was a fourth-round pick,” Duggan wrote. “It seems likely Thibodeaux will be elsewhere next year based on the Giants’ investment in Burns and Carter. But the Steelers showed this offseason a team can pay three edge rushers when they gave third edge rusher Nick Herbig a four-year, $100 million extension. The Steelers are already paying TJ Watt ($41 million per year) and Alex Highsmith ($17 million per year). The Giants have some wiggle room if they want to commit to Thibodeaux, since Carter can’t be extended until after the 2027 season while Burns is signed through 2028.”
It’s not hard to see the Giants hearing from some of those same teams again in training camp or at the NFL trade deadline — probably the former — if injuries hit or they realize their edge rushers aren’t very good.
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