Giants Already Discussed Trading Him Once
The Athletic's Dan Duggan reported that the Giants and Saints held trade talks involving Thibodeaux around this year's draft, with New Orleans emerging as the most interested team.
The two sides never got close on compensation. New York wanted a second-round pick in return, while the Saints' best offer was believed to be pick No. 132, a fourth-rounder.
New Orleans ultimately addressed its pass-rush need elsewhere, trading for Tyree Wilson from the Raiders instead.
Giants Pass Rush Production v. Cowboys
— Giants Nation Show (@GiantsNationPod) September 14, 2026
Abdul Carter: 1 QB Hit 3 Pressures
Chauncey Golston: 1 QB Hit 3 Pressures
Kayvon Thibodeaux: 1 QB Hit 2 Pressures
Brian Burns: 1 Pressure
Arvell Reese: 1 Pressure
Tremaine Edmunds: 1 Pressure pic.twitter.com/aDGnaF1SJK
The Giants' willingness to listen wasn't new even then. Head coach John Harbaugh had already been asked about Thibodeaux's status and gave about as open an answer as a coach can give without confirming anything.
"Everybody's tradeable, everybody," Harbaugh said. Thibodeaux is now in the final year of his rookie deal, playing on a fifth-year option worth roughly $14.75 million in 2026, with the Giants having already invested significant draft capital in Brian Burns and 2025 No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter at the same position.
Week 1 Usage Reopens The Conversation
The math became a lot more visible after New York's season opener.
Thibodeaux played just 27 of the Giants' defensive snaps against Dallas, only 47 percent of the total, while Carter and Burns played 91 and 84 percent, respectively. He still made his limited snaps count, recording three pressures and a quarterback hit, trailing only Carter on the team in pressures for the week.
Former NFL defensive back and current NBC analyst Devin McCourty raised Thibodeaux's name as someone the Chicago Bears should call about, pointing to Chicago's ugly Week 1 pass-rush performance in a 59-37 win over Carolina that saw the Bears generate just two sacks and eight total pressures.
"To me, I know everybody in New York is excited. You might want to call down to the Giants," McCourty said. "'Hey, I know you got Abdul Carter, you got Brian Burns, what are you thinking about with Thibodeaux? Are you planning on extending him?'"
Wrong arm technique - Present numbers to the back.
— Nick Falato (@nickfalato) September 14, 2026
Great job by Kayvon Thibodeaux pic.twitter.com/QudCbnsCdD
To be clear, this is McCourty's suggestion, not a report that Chicago and New York are actually negotiating anything.
There's also a question of whether the Giants, coming off a win, would want to thin out their pass-rush depth just one game into the season, especially for what would likely be a modest Day 2 return rather than anything close to the second-round asking price they held firm on in the spring.
