Kayvon Thibodeaux’s days as a New York Giant are numbered whether fans, or the organization for that matter, want to admit it or not. The former No. 5 overall pick from 2022 has been giving the team diminishing returns and is in the final year of his rookie deal. He’s either going to be flipped for maximum value ahead of the November deadline or he’ll walk in free agency.
The former option is the one general manager Joe Schoen needs to make sure happens lest he have another Saquon Barkley situation on his hands should Thibodeaux thrive in his next home. Of course, if the former Oregon product were to find the next gear the organization thought he had when it drafted him, there’s another discussion to be had.
Until then, he’s premium trade bait with multiple suitors who could view him as the missing piece to a championship run. These are the kind of deals New York should be finalizing whenever it decides to finally move Thibodeaux this season.
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears need one more defensive playmaker to keep their advantage in an NFC North division that’s clearly in the midst of an arms race. There are multiple options general manager Ryan Poles could consider acquiring but none would probably be cheaper with high enough value than Thibodeaux. Should swinging for the fences for an asset like Maxx Crosby or Josh Sweat be unattainable, New York should be his next phone call.
Schoen was reportedly seeking a second-round pick from the New Orleans Saints when he shopped Thibodeaux during the April draft but couldn’t get it. The Saints may view themselves as a playoff team, but the increased chance of not making the postseason allowed them flexibility to turn down the pricey ask. Chicago doesn’t have that luxury considering it’s in “win now” mode and Schoen must know other options cost more. When the Bears need to buy at the deadline, he can probably squeeze an additional future pick out of Poles that’s contingent on Thibodeaux’s performance with Chicago.
New England Patriots
Despite the tense Super Bowl history between these two franchises, the New England Patriots should see this as an opportunity to make a reasonable swap that would ease depth pains for both teams. Wideout Kayshon Boutte supposedly wants to find a team where he’d have a greater role on offense — especially with AJ Brown and Romeo Doubs arriving — and the Giants have a receiver room made up of misfit toys outside Malik Nabers.
This would not be the Giants trading away Thibodeaux for Boutte, however. The latter would just be a valuable enough asset for New England to throw in with draft capital to acquire Thibodeaux as the final piece to its defensive structure. The Patriots struggled to contain the run in Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks and despite Thibodeaux being a declining asset for New York in their pass rush department, he was seventh among all edge rushers in stuffing the run game with an 80.7 grade from Pro Football Focus last season.
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons recorded 57 sacks in 2025, but as the adage goes, you can never have enough good pass rushers. Thibodeaux is certainly a good pass rusher but with the arrivals of Abdul Carter and Arvell Reese, he’s the odd man out. A change of scenery could do him well and being a part of a promising project in Atlanta is a good start. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich could easily integrate Thibodeaux into a rush-first rotation up front where he could potentially be a centerpiece.
Atlanta is likely the one trade partner that could most easily pay New York’s asking price. Yet because it has financial flexibility to absorb Thibodeaux’s $14.75 million cap hit this year, Schoen would probably get a lesser 2028 pick as a result. With the Falcons looking to break out of a sluggish rebuild, adding defensive depth would only speed up that process.
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