Joe Schoen, New York Giants
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Joe Schoen, general manager of the New York Giants speaks to reporters during the NFL Draft Combine at the Indiana Convention Center.
The New York Giants have a bit of a logjam in their hands when it comes to their ample amount of depth on the edge.
Brian Burns is coming off a career season where he recorded 16.5 sacks and was a second-team All-Pro. After Burns, former 2022 first-round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux, and 2025 No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter are fighting each other for reps.
All three players are talented, and they say you can never have enough pass rushers in the NFL. But for the Giants, could they allocate their resources better and find a way to turn a strength into improvements elsewhere on the roster?
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell seems to think so and proposed a deal that could help the Giants create some flexibility for themselves this offseason.
Giants Trade Idea Ships Kayvon Thibodeaux to Ravens
Barnwell’s trade proposal sees Thibodeaux as the odd man out in the New York Giants edge rusher room, shipping him to the Baltimore Ravens for a fourth-round pick.
Now, the price for the former Oregon Duck’s services seems relatively low. A fourth-round pick for a player who was the No. 5 overall pick in 2022?
Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is that Thibodeaux’s production has steadily dipped since his breakout 11.5 sack season in 2023. Even worse, he hasn’t been able to stay healthy, missing five games in 2024 and seven in 2025 with a serious shoulder injury.
The trade is less about getting value for the former first-round pick and more about clearing his $14.8 million salary, allowing the Giants to pursue extensions with some of their impending free agents, such as wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson or right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor.
“The Giants can afford Thibodeaux’s $14.8 million salary in 2026, but it’s probably not the ideal use of their cash. They could keep Thibodeaux and hope to land a compensatory pick in 2027, but they are likely to be active in free agency, which would make it more likely that Thibodeaux wouldn’t earn them a draft pick after leaving,” wrote Barnwell.
“Landing a guaranteed pick now and freeing up money to help address the offensive line and secondary might be a reasonable alternative for Giants GM Joe Schoen.”
With all of the Giants’ other needs across the roster, the cap space and draft pick may end up becoming more valuable than Thibodeaux in 2026.
Would the Ravens Make the Deal?
Of course, in any trade, it takes two to tango. Would the Baltimore Ravens be willing to deal for the New York Giants pass rusher?
For the price, they would likely be open to it. The Ravens have a glaring need at edge. Last year, no player recorded more than five sacks for the Baltimore defense.
With new head coach Jesse Minter in the fray, he’s likely going to want to get some juice on his defense, and Thibodeaux could be a player he’s interested in.
“Jesse Minter, who turned around (Odafe) Oweh, is now the head coach in Baltimore. And Minter might fancy his chances of getting more out of Thibodeaux, who came into the league with a top-five-pick toolbox and racked up 11.5 sacks in his second year with the Giants. The Ravens would be taking a targeted swing on a talented player in a contract year who just turned 25 in December,” continued Barnwell.
The Ravens have their own cap situation to work out, considering their own impending free agents, but with a glaring hole off the edge, a fourth-round pick for a former first-round talent seems like a reasonable deal for teams.