The idea of the New York Giants trading edge defender Kayvon Thibodeaux is one that has been discussed ever since the Giants made Abdul Carter the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell is proposing an idea that makes some sense.
Trade Thibodeaux to John Harbaugh’s former team, the Baltimore Ravens.
The trade:
Ravens get: Edge Kayvon Thibodeaux
Giants get: 2026 fourth-round pick
Barnwell writes:
It’s difficult to see Thibodeaux having much of a future in New York. The Giants signed Brian Burns to a long-term contract and just used the third pick on Abdul Carter, who posted massive pressure rates in his debut season. Thibodeaux will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2026 season. He’s coming off a 2.5-sack, 10-knockdown year, and was limited to 10 games because of a shoulder injury.
The Giants can afford Thibodeaux’s $14.8 million salary in 2026, but it’s probably not the ideal use of their cash. They could keep Thibodeaux and hope to land a compensatory pick in 2027, but they are likely to be active in free agency, which would make it more likely that Thibodeaux wouldn’t earn them a draft pick after leaving. Landing a guaranteed pick now and freeing up money to help address the offensive line and secondary might be a reasonable alternative for Giants GM Joe Schoen.
The Ravens, on the other hand, are thin on the edge. Mike Green had 3.5 sacks as a rookie, albeit with 14 knockdowns. No Ravens player had more than five sacks last season. Veterans Kyle Van Noy and Dre’Mont Jones are free agents. And former first-round pick Odafe Oweh, whom the Ravens traded at midseason, had 7.5 sacks on just 347 snaps after joining the Chargers.
Jesse Minter, who turned around Oweh, is now the head coach in Baltimore. And Minter might fancy his chances of getting more out of Thibodeaux, who came into the league with a top-five-pick toolbox and racked up 11.5 sacks in his second year with the Giants. The Ravens would be taking a targeted swing on a talented player in a contract year who just turned 25 in December. And though re-signing Tyler Linderbaum would leave the Ravens in a tight cap situation, either restructuring or redoing Lamar Jackson’s contract will free up a massive amount of space.
Valentine’s View
I supported the idea of keeping Thibodeaux in 2025. I thought seeing if the Thibodeaux-Burns-Carter triumvirate would work was the right idea. Plus, it was a hedge against Carter possibly not being what he was expected to be.
Now? Trading Thibodeaux could absolutely be the proper play.
With Carter and Burns on the roster, Barnwell is correct that it seems implausible for the Giants to re-sign Thibodeaux after the upcoming season.
Playing the compensatory pick game is something the Ravens have done well, and the Giants might like to emulate. Still, Barnwell is correct again that this has to be an active offseason for the Giants. Harbaugh keeps saying he wants to “hit the ground running.” The expectation is that the Giants will, at least, be in contention for a playoff spot all the way to the end of the season. The bet is that they will leave no stone unturned to make that happen.
The Giants would earn $14.75 million in salary cap relief by trading Thibodeaux.
As for depth on the edge should Thibodeaux be dealt, I don’t think the Giants would want to depend on Tomon Fox or Victor Dimukeje. Former Giant Jihad Ward has played for Harbaugh and had a nice year for defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson with the Tennessee Titans last year. Van Noy is another veteran who makes sense. Either Ward or Van Noy would be inexpensive options. The draft is also rich in edge players, and a mid-round pick as a developmental option seems viable.
The fourth-round pick Barnwell proposes? I would love a third-rounder since the Giants don’t have one. That might be unrealistic, though, for a player who has never really produced the way he was expected to after being the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. A fourth-rounder might be the best the Giants could hope for.
Is this a trade you would make, Giants fans?