Are Giants 'compelled' to trade Kayvon Thibodeaux despite John Harbaugh comments?

New York Giants pass-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux became the subject of trade rumors months before it was recently learned that Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II had requested a trade amid his assumed desire for a contract extension and a pay raise. 

SNY's Connor Hughes reported on Tuesday that "most external sources SNY touched base with believed something would eventually get done to keep Lawrence with the Giants." It sounds like Thibodeaux's future is more up in the air this spring.

Giants may be "compelled" to trade Kayvon Thibodeaux

"The Giants are fine keeping Kayvon Thibodeaux," Ian O'Connor of The Athletic reported on Tuesday. "But I'd heard if they get an offer of a late second-round (draft) pick or early third-round pick, they would be compelled to make a deal."

While Thibodeaux is heading into a contract year, the Giants have 2025 first-round draft pick Abdul Carter and veteran Brian Burns locked down for multiple seasons. Specifically, Burns signed a five-year, $141M contract in March 2024. Per ESPN stats, he ended this past regular season ranked second in the league with 16.5 sacks. 

To compare, Thibodeaux tallied a total of eight sacks across the past two campaigns. Additionally, injuries limited him to just 22 games over that time. There's no indication the Giants are in a rush to sign him to any extension.

Is John Harbaugh "excited" to possibly coach Kayvon Thibodeaux?

New Giants head coach John Harbaugh is clearly running the club's football operations this offseason and, thus, will likely have the final say regarding whether or not Thibodeaux remains with the franchise. 

"I think he's a great player," Harbaugh said about Thibodeaux on Tuesday, according to Kevin Patra of the NFL's website. "I'm excited about him. I was fired up to see him today. He looks great, he's in great shape. I'm thinking about him on the field, getting him plugged into our defense and getting him rolling."

That said, Harbaugh also acknowledged that "everybody's tradeable." That comment could lead one to believe that Harbaugh would accept Giants general manager Joe Schoen receiving a draft asset in exchange for Thibodeaux before the upcoming player-selection process gets underway on April 23.