Dan Duggan of The Athletic confirmed that the Saints' best offer for the New York Giants pass rusher was pick No. 132, their fourth-round selection, while New York held firm on a second-round pick as the minimum acceptable return.
The gap between a 42nd and 132nd overall pick is not a small one, and the two sides never got close enough to close it.
Sources: The #Giants have engaged in trade conversations involving DE Kayvon Thibodeaux, and the #Saints are among the teams showing strong interest.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 24, 2026
If a deal happens, it could be as soon as tonight. Giants have been open to listening… pic.twitter.com/bfiiluwQFp
With negotiations stalled, the Saints pivoted Saturday to acquiring Tyree Wilson from the Las Vegas Raiders, sending a fifth-round pick and a seventh in exchange for the former first-round edge rusher.
New Orleans had been in on Thibodeaux since at least February, per NewOrleans.Football's Nick Underhill, making this a months-long pursuit that ultimately ended with a consolation prize at a lower price point.
Thibodeaux himself appeared to believe a trade was coming during draft weekend, posting cryptic social media content that circulated quickly before GM Joe Schoen publicly denied any conversations had taken place.
Why the Giants Could Not Get What They Wanted
The Giants drafted Arvell Reese fifth overall, adding a fourth first-round edge rusher to a room that already includes Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, and Thibodeaux.
That crowded pass-rush picture created pressure to move Thibodeaux, but it also created a situation where his trade value was complicated by his contract status.
Thibodeaux is due a fully guaranteed $14.75 million salary in 2026 on his fifth-year option, coming off back-to-back injury-shortened seasons in which he missed five games in 2024 and seven in 2025.
New coach John Harbaugh has liked what he's seen from Kayvon Thibodeaux. He's a good player. The Giants weren't going to just give him away. Acquiring him would have been costly.
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) April 25, 2026
New York is a better team with Thibodeaux on the roster than trading him for a late pick in this… https://t.co/0FJmo50iGH
His one elite season (11.5 sacks in 2023) increasingly looks like an outlier rather than a floor.
Comparable pass rushers in contract years such as Chase Young, Jalen Phillips, and Dante Fowler generated third-round returns at best, which made the Giants' insistence on a second-rounder a difficult sell in this specific market.
Whether New York moves Thibodeaux before training camp, at the deadline, or not at all remains one of the more interesting storylines of the summer.
The Giants have the luxury of keeping all four rushers if they choose to, though the amount of playing time Thibodeaux sees on a team that just made Reese a top-five pick is a legit question.
Photo Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
