The New York Giants have been waiting on an update on pass-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux for a while now. The 25-year-old has been sidelined with a shoulder injury since Week 10, with no return date set.
Curiously, the G-Men haven't put him on injured reserve, providing them one less roster spot on the 53-man, while he recovers. Interim head coach Mike Kafka has expressed optimism for his return, but has deferred to his medical team and emphasized doctor clearance before he gets the 2022 fifth overall pick back out on the field.
For all intents and purposes, Big Blue's 2025 season is over. They've been eliminated from the playoffs for weeks, have already fired their head coach, and are riding an eight-game losing streak right into the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 Draft. There are three games left in the season, so there's truly little benefit in bringing KT back at all.
It's been another meh season for the still-young pass-rusher, and with devastating Micah Parsons injury news coming out of Green Bay on Monday, Thibs might be on the move this offseason in a stunning swap that sees the Giants pick up some more draft capital for their next head coach, one already on the Packers staff.
Micah Parsons injury could open door for Giants to trade Kayvon Thibodeaux
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport confirmed the Packers' worst fears that Parsons tore his ACL against the Denver Broncos in Week 15. With the playoffs just around the corner, it's a brutal time for the Cheeseheads to lose the star pass-rusher that they traded Kenny Clark and two firsts for back in August.
The 26-year-old is eyeing a nine-month recovery at the earliest, which puts them in a somewhat compromising spot for next season. Enter Thibodeaux and the Giants.
With the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 Draft, the G-Men could look to overload on draft picks by trading out of the pick and moving KT. With Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza likely going first, the Giants can fleece QB-needy teams for more picks to trade up for the Heisman Trophy Winner.
That would allow NY to direct even more attention to adding assets for their new head coach. And funny enough, it just so happens the Packers employ one of the most logical head coaching candidates on their staff already, with defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley.
Hafley checks a lot of boxes for the G-Men. He’s a Jersey guy with ties to the Mara family, has already run his own program at Boston College, and just turned the Packers’ defense into one of the best units in football. More than anything, though, he feels like the kind of no-nonsense leader who could finally hold the locker room accountable and start turning things around.
It remains to be seen what the former Oregon standout would cost the Pack -- they did just spend significant capital on Parsons. But with a growing injury history and another unimpressive season, there's a world where two late Day 2 picks spaced out over the next two drafts could get the job done... maybe even a third and a fourth.
Kayvon Thibodeaux was once viewed as a cornerstone of the defense. Now, his exit could be one of the first steps in building something better.