Kayvon Thibodeaux
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The New York Giants can make a "franchise transformer" trade involving Kayvon Thibodeaux.
What to do with Kayvon Thibodeaux has become a tricky question for the New York Giants this offseason, but the answer would be simple if they could trade the outside linebacker for a more prolific pass-rusher who would act as a “franchise transformer” for new head coach John Harbaugh.
This is the ambitious scenario outlined by Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr, who placed the Giants among 12 logical trade fits for Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett.
Orr believes “If John Harbaugh took the job in part because he believes this is a quick turnaround, maybe the idea of sacrificing draft capital doesn’t scare him. The Giants could also send a highly drafted pass rusher back to Cleveland in return, limiting the ultimate strain on the acquiring team. Garrett would be a franchise transformer and allow the Giants’ remaining pass rushers to exist in an environment that wouldn’t force them to be the table-setter, taking on consistent double teams.”
This would be a lopsided trade with two more hidden benefits for the Giants. Although “offloading Kayvon Thibodeaux isn’t close to a fair swap, the Giants would immediately secure an upgrade to the investment made on Abdul Carter and extend the lifespan of star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, who appeared to decline last season amid the team’s struggles,” per Orr.
Any chance to actually acquire two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Garret must be explored by the Giants. Yet, it’s more likely Harbaugh and general manager Joe Schoen lean more heavily into the 2026 NFL draft to accelerate their rebuilding efforts.
It’s also far from clear the Giants will deal 2022 fifth-overall pick Thibodeaux.
Myles Garrett Trade Option Can’t Be Ignored
Putting Garrett into a front seven with Carter, Lawrence and Brian Burns would make Big Blue’s defense feared around the league. Garrett inspires fear because he demands extra attention on every single pass-rush snap or else he’ll dominate the pass-pocket and keep quarterbacks on the run.
He did those things enough to set a new single-season record with 23 sacks in 2025. It’s why Garrett spends most of his time being doubled and even triple-teamed, the way the Browns highlighted on this play against the Tennessee Titans.
Putting this much of a crowd around Garrett would be impossible if he donned a uniform for the Giants. Impossible when Burns was dominant enough to log 16.5 sacks last season. When Lawrence is in a world of his own rushing from the interior, and when Carter still has awesome upside as a dynamic, roving pass-rusher.
The possibilities of a Garrett-led quartet up front are tantalizing for the Giants. Exciting enough to muscle their way into any queue of trade suitors forming after the Browns modified Garrett’s contract, per ESPN’s Field Yates.
Making an offer of their own would mean the Giants felt comfortable about taking on Garrett’s current financial terms. It could be done while quarterback Jaxson Dart is on a rookie contract, but Harbaugh’s history suggests the Giants will resist a blockbuster trade for a more patient and volume-based approach to improving the roster.
Choosing the latter option would likely mean giving Thibodeaux another chance to make the grade.
Kayvon Thibodeaux Still Has Role for Giants
Thibodeaux continues to be the focal point of trade speculation, despite the 25-year-old still having a useful role. He’s rarely lived up to his draft status, but Thibodeaux has talent as an edge-setter capable of collapsing the pocket.
Those qualities are invaluable for a defense built around bookend edge defenders. That won’t change even after Harbaugh arrived and hired Dennard Wilson as his defensive coordinator.
Both prefer the hybrid 3-4 fronts Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens teams often deployed. Making those fronts work demands a deep and talented rotation of flexible rush ends.
Burns and Carter will take on the primary workload, but Thibodeaux is also somebody offenses can’t ignore. Putting him onto the field with Burns and Carter, even if it’s just in obvious passing situations, will be the cornerstone of the Giants’ sub-package defenses.
Making more use of these schemes is probably why the Giants have remained reluctant to offload Thibodeaux so far this offseason. Things could change before or during the draft, but likely not enough for Schoen and Harbaugh to part with any prime picks among their seven choices.
Schoen gave up two future picks for Burns in 2024, but neither represented first-round value. That’s what it would take, both this year and in subsequent drafts, for the Giants to land Garrett, and Harbaugh never gave up first-round picks for veteran talent in 18 years with the Ravens.