Kayvon Thibodeaux landing spots: Giants could trade former first-round edge rusher

The New York Giants could be preparing to part ways with a former first-round pick. The team is listening to offers for edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, and the belief among teams at the NFL Scouting Combine is that Thibodeaux will get dealt, according to SNY.

Thibodeaux, 25, is coming off a season during which he recorded just 2.5 sacks, five tackles for loss and nine quarterback hits while playing in only 10 of 17 games. He has fallen off precipitously over the last two years after he posted an 11.5-sack season in 2023, his second year in the NFL.

But even that 11.5-sack total was not really representative of his level of play that year. Thibodeaux ranked 12th in the NFL in sacks that season but checked in just 67th in pressures and 107th in pressure rate out of the 145 players who rushed the passer 250 times or more. 

He just happened to have a sack-to-pressure ratio that was an outlier and looks nothing like the one he has posted in the other three seasons of his career. During that 2023 season, 26.7% of Thibodeaux's pressures resulted in sacks. He has otherwise been at 10% (2022), 14.5% (2024) and 7.8% (2025). It's no surprise, then, that he's totaled only 12 sacks in his three non-2023 seasons.

That subpar performance could lead to a reduced market for Thibodeau's services. There's also the matter of his fully guaranteed salary of around $14.8 million in 2026, which could even further limit said market. 

Still, as a 25-year-old former first-round pick, there are teams out there that could be interested. Let's take a look at a few that might make some sense, if the price is right.

San Francisco 49ers

Only two teams generated pressure at a lower rate during the 2025 regular season than the 49ers, according to Tru Media. (That would be the Jets and the Panthers.) San Francisco losing Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams to injury during the season played a role, but the Niners still need more help on the edge even after you account for getting those guys back. 

Buffalo Bills

The Bills are seemingly on the hunt for help on the edges every offseason, and this one could be no different. They had a solid pressure rate during the regular season, but in the playoffs it dropped to just 32.5% -- and 28% in the loss to the Broncos in the divisional round. Buffalo has other needs and might be turned off by price, but if it's low enough, it could get interested.

New York Jets

The Jets are one of those aforementioned teams that did an even worse job of getting after the quarterback than the 49ers. They could use all they help they can get, so you might as well throw them in the mix here. That's especially true after they traded Jermaine Johnson II to the Titans. They also have plenty of cap space, so they could likely make something happen if they wanted.

Los Angeles Chargers

Khalil Mack and Odafe Oweh will hit free agency this offseason, and the Chargers might not be able to bring both of them back. They are scheduled to have over $80 million in cap room, though, so if they wanted to get in on the action for Thibodeaux, they could probably do so at a lower cost than other teams that might want the Giants to absorb some of his cap hit.

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts ranked just 23rd in pressure rate during the 2025 season, according to Tru Media. They need someone to rush the passer opposite Laiatu Latu, who collected 8.5 sacks this past year. They've been looking for pass rush help for a while, and they could be interested in buying low here -- especially if the Giants are willing to eat some of the salary.