Why the Giants should trade Kayvon Thibodeaux and exploit the deepest edge rusher market in years

The New York Giants are in a rare position of luxury at edge rusher — and they should exploit it immediately. Brian Burns is locked in on a massive long-term deal. Abdul Carter, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 draft, announced himself as a legitimate force in his rookie season. Dexter Lawrence is still under contract. The pass rush is set.

And that’s exactly why the Giants should trade Kayvon Thibodeaux right now, pocket the $14.75 million in cap relief, grab a Day 2 pick in return, and let the deepest position in the 2026 NFL offseason backfill the depth they’d lose.

The Market Just Handed the Giants a Gift

ESPN’s Ben Solak wrote this week that edge rusher is the single deepest position available in both free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft — blunt assessment: “If your favorite team’s general manager can’t find a good fit at edge rusher this offseason, tell him to take a hike.”

On the free agent side alone, names like Trey Hendrickson, Odafe Oweh, Jaelan Phillips, Khalil Mack, Boye Mafe, Joey Bosa, and Jadeveon Clowney will all be available. Hendrickson, Oweh, and Phillips are all realistic 10-sack players next season. Middle-tier veterans like Dre’Mont Jones (Ravens) and Al-Quadin Muhammad (Lions) are also attractive. Mafe, Chaisson, Mack, and Bosa can all be eight-sack players.

In the draft, at least six edge rushers project as first-round picks, and that’s before you get into the deep Day 2 tier. The top 50 prospects in this year’s class is chalk full of edge rushing talent.

The Giants don’t need another star at this position. They already have two. What they need is a rotational third rusher — the kind of piece you can get for a modest investment when the market is this loaded. Trading Thibodeaux unlocks the cap space to do exactly that.

The Financial Case Is Actually Urgent

According to Over The Cap, the Giants are currently working with roughly $1.8 million in projected 2026 cap space. The infrastructure of a roster that lost 14 games in 2025 has left Harbaugh and the front office with almost no room to maneuver. The Jones hangover is finally gone — but the books still need to be cleaned up.

Here’s the critical detail: because the Giants exercised Thibodeaux’s fifth-year option, it is a non-prorated salary of $14.751 million. Trade him before June 1, and his entire cap number transfers to the acquiring team. Zero dead cap left behind.

If they find a trade partner for Thibodeaux, the Giants would do a clean financial swap — move the $14.75 million obligation, likely add a Day 2 draft pick to the board, and create nearly $15 million in functional breathing room to fix the secondary, add interior offensive line depth, and re-sign their own players.

The ask should be a Day 2 pick, minimum. A 25-year-old former top-five pick on a one-year deal will have buyers.

What Thibodeaux’s 2025 Actually Tells Us

Thibodeaux finished 2025 with 2.5 sacks and nine QB hits in 10 games before a shoulder injury ended his season. But the context tells a more complicated story.

He missed five games due to a wrist injury in 2024. His 2025 campaign ended on IR in December. Two significant injuries in back-to-back years, for a player who has never quite delivered on his No. 5 overall billing, is a pattern worth acknowledging.

The tape confirmed what many suspected: with Burns and a developing Carter both on the field, Thibodeaux became the odd man out. Burns totaled 16.5 sacks during the regular season. Carter produced immediately in a complementary role and broke out as a difference-maker toward the end of the season, recording at least a half-sack in each of the last four games of the regular season.

Thibodeaux’s production didn’t match his deployment. On a Harbaugh defense that will demand elite efficiency from every premium snap, that production-to-usage gap can’t be ignored.

Here’s the reality: the Giants’ pass rush is great on paper right now. If you trade Thibodeaux away, the Giants’ pass rush is still great on paper. The Burns-Carter-Lawrence trio is still top tier. Swap Thibodeaux out for a mid-tier veteran rusher or a Day 2 developmental guy, and the Giants still have a defensive line that projects as a top-10 unit in the NFL.

The Replacement Plan Writes Itself

Instead of paying Thibodeaux $14.75 million to be a No. 3 rusher in a three-man rotation, the Giants can replace that production at a fraction of the cost.

On the free agent side, a player like Boye Mafe, K’Lavon Chaisson, or Kwity Paye could be had on reasonable one-to-two-year deals. These aren’t stars — but they don’t need to be. Behind Burns and Carter, the third edge piece needs to be a quality rotational contributor who stays healthy and produces in sub-packages. Every one of those free agents can do that job.

In the draft, if the Giants want to add youth and long-term upside, Day 2 options abound. The Giants hold the 37th overall pick. If they want to address edge in Round 2, they’d be selecting from one of the most stacked position groups in recent draft memory. And if they get a Day 2 pick in exchange for Thibodeaux, that will create another opportunity for them to find his replacement through the draft.

Harbaugh Didn’t Draft This Roster. He Doesn’t Owe It Loyalty.

This is the subplot that doesn’t get discussed enough. Harbaugh inherited Thibodeaux. He didn’t choose him. And the central trait that defined his Baltimore tenure — where he won 13 AFC North titles and a Super Bowl — was a refusal to let sunk-cost thinking override roster logic. He moved on from Joe Flacco the moment Lamar Jackson was ready. He rebuilt the offensive line wholesale. He was always optimizing for now and next, never for the past.

Thibodeaux is a remnant of the Daboll-Schoen era — an era the Giants are actively rebuilding away from. If a team calls with a second or third-round pick on the table, the decision should be easy. The $14.75 million goes back into the cap. The pick joins the board. And Harbaugh’s first offseason gets a genuine financial runway instead of a dead-end.

This Move Is Bigger Than One Position

The Giants are building around Jaxson Dart, a rookie quarterback who needs weapons, a better offensive line, and a secondary that can hold up in the fourth quarter. Every dollar that comes off the books in this transaction can be redirected toward those needs. This isn’t just about the edge rotation — it’s about the entire roster architecture of the 2026 season.

Trading Thibodeaux, landing a Day 2 pick, signing a $4-6 million rotational edge, and redirecting the remaining $9-10 million toward the secondary or interior offensive line is a net positive across four roster spots simultaneously. That’s how 3-14 teams turn into contenders faster than anyone expects. The market is deep. The pick is available. The cap logic is airtight. Make the call.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much cap space would the Giants save by trading Kayvon Thibodeaux?

Trading Thibodeaux before June 1 would save the Giants his full $14.751 million cap hit for 2026 with zero dead cap penalty. Because his fifth-year option is a non-prorated salary, the entire cap charge transfers to the acquiring team in a trade, giving New York immediate and clean financial relief.

What would the Giants get in a Kayvon Thibodeaux trade?

The Athletic’s Dan Duggan reported that the Giants should accept nothing less than a Day 2 pick — a second or third-round selection. Given Thibodeaux’s age (25), his pedigree as a former top-five pick, and his one year of cost-controlled contract remaining, he should command at least a third-round pick, with legitimate Day 2 value if his shoulder checks out medically.

Who would replace Kayvon Thibodeaux if the Giants trade him?

Ben Solak of ESPN ranked edge rusher as the deepest position in the 2026 NFL offseason, with free agents like Odafe Oweh, Boye Mafe, K’Lavon Chaisson, and Kwity Paye all available as rotational options. In the draft, the class is stacked enough to find quality contributors on Day 2 or Day 3 to slot in behind Brian Burns and Abdul Carter at a fraction of Thibodeaux’s $14.75 million cost.

Does trading Thibodeaux weaken the Giants’ pass rush?

Not meaningfully. Brian Burns totaled 16.5 sacks in 2025, and Abdul Carter emerged as a legitimate starter-caliber rusher in his rookie season. Replacing Thibodeaux with a lower-cost rotational piece doesn’t diminish the top of the pass-rush rotation — it resets the cost of the third spot to market value, which is considerably cheaper than $14.75 million.