In the span of 48 hours, we went from wondering whether the New York Giants were a sleeper playoff team to questioning if they’ll sell at the trade deadline.
Losing Jaxson Dart to a season-ending knee injury went a long way in destroying all of the John Harbaugh era’s seemingly everlasting positive vibes. Giants fans spent Tuesday building a collective eulogy for a season still only starting.
And while we acknowledge that Jameis Winston could theoretically channel his inner Case Keenum or Sam Darnold and lead the Giants on an unexpected playoff run, you’ll understand why the thought of a Kayvon Thibodeaux trade is back on our minds.
In the end, the question might not be whether teams are interested in Thibodeaux, but whether the Giants would even bother to trade the ex-Oregon standout.
Could the New York Giants be stuck with Kayvon Thibodeaux?
We’re officially past the 21st night of September, but let’s go back to April. The Saints were reportedly interested in giving up a mid-round pick in this past spring’s draft, though those talks obviously fell through.
Good luck finding a team, even those in the “incredibly desperate” tier, willing to give up such compensation now.
Thibodeaux has two tackles over 67 total snaps (49 on defense and 18 on special teams), and he’s also been credited with a quarterback hit. Granted, we’re two games in, so no one expects him to resemble Myles Garrett right out of the gate.
It’s incredibly easy to say the Giants were better off taking the Saints’ offer, and it’s also a cop-out. The same goes for the argument that if New Orleans was interested in Thibodeaux five months ago, then why wouldn’t they call Joe Schoen again?
Brian Burns’ ankle injury should move Thibodeaux back into the starting defense, but for how long? John Harbuagh and Dennard Wilson inherited a pending free agent who has been tied to trade rumors for months.
For the sake of conversation, let’s say the Saints had initially offered a fifth-round pick; there were reports the potential trade involved a fourth-rounder, but just work with us. Fantasy is far better than reality, and a team could have talked themselves into Thibodeaux finally reaching his potential.
Theoretically, that could still happen, though not for a fourth- or fifth-round pick. The Giants would be lucky to get even a conditional sixth-rounder. And if a team is only willing to offer a future seventh-round pick, then why bother?
To be clear, there were no credible reports about the Giants pursuing a Thibodeaux trade ahead of final cuts. We typically don’t see many September trades, especially not with the modern practice squad rules allowing for more depth options.
But of all the players on the Giants’ roster, Thibodeaux remains one who may have some form of trade value and could be available. That usually means one thing: He’ll be making plays for a legitimate Super Bowl contender in January.
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