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As active as the New York Giants have been in the 2025 NFL offseason, they have yet to make noise in the trade market outside of the draft. However, with training camp on deck, Giants' edge-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux continues to be a popular name brought up in discussions.
Thibodeaux, the Giants' 2022 first-round pick, has been on the rumored trade block for months. With just one double-digit sack season in his first three years, Thibodeaux's outlook got murkier after New York took Abdul Carter at No. 3 in the 2025 NFL Draft. Drafting Carter was the second significant move general manager Joe Schoen made in the pass-rushing market, after trading for two-time Pro Bowler Brian Burns in 2024.
Despite drafting Carter, the Giants have been adamant that they would not trade Thibodeaux. New York picked up his fifth-year option within weeks of the draft, claiming that the Oregon product would stick around. Schoen claimed he “can't have enough pass-rushers” on his roster and wants Brian Daboll to evenly rotate each of Burns, Carter and Thibodeaux.
Daboll has since doubled down on the idea of playing all three pass-rushers at once, saying he likes the idea of playing Carter as an off-ball linebacker. Daboll was also a fan of playing all three of his top edge-rushers on the interior of defensive coordinator Shane Bowen's 3-4 scheme.
Regardless of how the Giants want to play it out, the situation is already messy early in the 2025 offseason. They might not want to trade Thibodeaux, but they should be open to fielding offers for him. If the right opportunity presents itself, the Giants need to pull the trigger and trade Thibodeaux before training camp begins.
Giants should trade Kayvon Thibodeaux before training camp
If the Giants figure out how to rotate Burns, Carter and Thibodeaux in together, they would not be the first team to solve a similar issue. The Buffalo Bills, Schoen and Daboll's former organization, routinely have the deepest defensive line rotation in the league and see annual success with that approach.
The situation will not be an issue for the Giants, but will potentially cause a lack of opportunity and frustrate the odd man out of the rotation. Carter has reportedly lived up to the hype and then some in OTAs and minicamp, furthering the belief that Thibodeaux is the third wheel. Barring injury, there is no reason for Burns, who led the team with 17 tackles for loss in 2024, to lose any snaps.
While Thibodeaux has his ups and downs, he still has elite potential. He had just 5.5 sacks in 2024, but generated 20 total pressures in just 12 games. Thibodeaux has repeatedly claimed he is looking to top his career-high 11.5 sacks in 2025, a goal that would only be possible with a full workload.
The primary issue for Thibodeaux with the Giants' current approach is his lack of versatility. Thibodeaux played 593 total defensive snaps in 2024, with only three of them coming from the interior. He did not record a stat on any of those plays.
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If Carter gets off to the start everyone predicts, he will quickly command a spot on the outside opposite of Burns. The Giants want to get creative, but will not sacrifice results in the process. Burns and Carter have the versatility to play inside, but figure to be the team's most efficient edge-rushers. That would leave Thibodeaux, the worst interior pass-rusher of the three, likely left with whatever his star teammates leave behind.
Kayvon Thibodeaux trades Giants should entertain
For the most part, New York is only hesitant to trade Thibodeaux in fear of losing their elite pass-rushing trio. They should not simply look to shop him for the sake of it, but the Giants could improve their 2025 offseason roster ahead of training camp with the right move.
The Giants' offensive line is forever an issue that should still be at the forefront of Schoen's mind. Aside from drafting Marcus Mbow in the fifth round, New York made no significant additions to the group in the offseason. For a unit that ranked 26th in pass-block win rate and 27th in run-block win rate in 2024, it was odd to see the front office leave its offensive line as-is. Trading Thibodeaux for a reputable guard would do wonders for the team in 2025.
New York truly has nothing to lose in not trading Thibodeaux and giving the current roster a shot. But once Thibodeaux takes the back seat he seems destined to, he could easily become one of the first players to request a trade in 2025. His stock might be highest in the offseason, with most rival general managers aware of his skill set despite the injury and low sack concerns in 2024.
Even without Thibodeaux, the Giants' defensive rotation would still be solid. They poached Chauncey Golston, who tied Thibodeaux with 5.5 sacks in 2024, from the Dallas Cowboys in free agency. Schoen also signed veterans Jeremiah Ledbetter and Victor Dimukeje, who are both solid rotational pieces.
Trading the criminally underrated Thibodeaux is not a must by any means, but the right move would make the Giants' 2025 offseason roster substantially better heading into training camp. As good as their offseason has been, the team still has glaring issues to address, most notably up front.
