The New York Giants still hold a former top-five draft pick who has not locked down a starting job, and that reality has him sitting at the top of one analyst’s early-season trade board as the NFL regular season gets underway.
Kayvon Thibodeaux, the edge rusher New York selected fifth overall in 2022, is entering the final year of his rookie contract. The Giants have made clear they want a second-round pick in return if they move him.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox listed Thibodeaux as the No. 1 player available on the trade market heading into Week 1. Knox identified the San Francisco 49ers as the most natural landing spot, suggesting a conditional 2027 third-round selection that could become a second-rounder if Thibodeaux hits certain performance marks.
“Good pass-rushers will always have a trade market,” Knox wrote. “While Kayvon Thibodeaux had just 2.5 sacks last season, he’s shown flashes of being a very good sack artist. In 2023, he recorded 11.5 sacks and 35 quarterback pressures … if Thibodeaux doesn’t earn a prominent role early under new head coach John Harbaugh, the Giants should listen to offers once again. This time around, a third-rounder that can become a second-round pick with incentives may be enough to put him on a pass-rush-needy defense.”
San Francisco has an obvious need. Both of its projected starting edge rushers, Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams, tore ACLs during the 2025 season.
Williams, the 49ers’ first-round pick last year, opened this season on the physically unable to perform list and will miss at least the first four games. Bosa is expected to play Thursday night against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia, though it remains unclear how many snaps he will take.
Thibodeaux is 25, stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 258 pounds. He came out of Oregon as one of the most hyped pass rushers in his draft class. That same year the Giants also took offensive tackle Evan Neal seventh overall. Neal was released during final cuts this month and signed to the Las Vegas Raiders’ practice squad.
Neither of those high picks has made a Pro Bowl. Both were selected ahead of receivers Drake London, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave and Jameson Williams, all of whom have produced 1,000-yard seasons.
Last season was the lowest point of Thibodeaux’s career. A shoulder injury cost him a career-high seven games, and he finished with 2.5 sacks, also a career low. He now sits behind All-Pro Brian Burns, who recorded 16.5 sacks in 2025, and 2025 third-overall pick Abdul Carter on New York’s depth chart.
Thibodeaux is playing on a fifth-year option worth $14.751 million this season. Spotrac projects his free-agent market next spring at a four-year, $74.6 million deal if he produces.
He has 23.5 sacks in 53 career games. The bulk of that production came in 2023. He added 5.5 sacks in 12 games in 2024 before last year’s drop-off. Injuries have limited him to 22 games over the past two seasons, during which he totaled eight sacks.
At training camp in early August, Thibodeaux downplayed the contract-year noise and his place on the depth chart.
“You just want to be the best player you can be,” Thibodeaux said. “Keep finding ways to help the team. Keep leading.”
General manager Joe Schoen said he liked what he saw in the spring.
“I’m excited about Kayvon. He’s going to be a big part of this roster. He’ll be an important part of our defense,” Schoen said.
Harbaugh, in his first year as Giants head coach after leaving Baltimore, has spoken positively about the veteran’s work habits.
“He’s a smart, thoughtful guy. He’s all ball. He’s determined. He’s kind of no nonsense, good sense of humor. I like him. He’s a good dude. He works hard,” Harbaugh said.
Whether that translates into enough snaps to keep him in New York is the open question. If the role stays limited in the first few weeks, the phone could start ringing again. Contenders short on healthy pass rushers, starting with San Francisco, will be watching.
