Should Giants Extend Kayvon Thibodeaux's Contract?

Last season, some were highly critical of the lack of dominance by Thibodeaux in the backfield and fairly so, as the 24-year-old pass rusher logged just 12 games with 28 tackles and 5.5 sacks following his career-best campaign in 2023, when he led the Giants with 11.5 sacks.

Thibodeaux knew he was being counted on to bring more to the table than those mediocre numbers, and the pressure was seemingly added to his job on the defensive front as soon as the Giants drafted rookie Abdul Carter at No. 3 overall this past April to bolster the edge rush and create some competition for the incumbent starter.

The good news is that Thibodeaux has answered the bell through the first quarter of this season, notching 11 total tackles, three tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks, adding to the 10 sacks New York has amassed thus far, and sits second behind Brian Burns (5.5).

In 160 defensive snaps, Thibodeaux's efficiency in disrupting the opposing team's success has been just as impressive. 

He has 17 total pressures in the same window, which ranks him in the top 15 players at his position, and has translated that into a 7.1% pressure rate and a 13.5% win rate, placing him near the top of the league leaderboard.

Even this past Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers, he was a fair contributor to the Giants' pass-rushing frenzy on quarterback Justin Herbert. 

Thibodeaux helped New York rack up 20 pressures on the enemy gunslinger with five of his own, including one of their sacks that secured a nail-biting 21-18 victory for the first win of the season.

“I mean, you see it out here every day at practice, the way he goes about his business, the way he works,” said defensive coordinator Shane Bowen. “He's intentional about what he does, studying tape, asking questions of guys, and taking advantage of opportunities. 

“I'm pleased with what he's done. He's impacted the game for us–I even felt like that last year, early on, before he got hurt. He was doing a lot of good things for us, and then he got banged up. So, I'm pleased with where he's at, and hopefully that continues.” 

Thibodeaux's start to the season represents a solid improvement from the same timeline of games in the 2024 season, when he had just six pressures and didn't record his first sack until Week 4. He was highly critiqued for whiffing on opportunities that could have set the opposing offense back.

With that display of improvement, it's clear that Thibodeaux meant all that he said this summer when he discussed his goals to finish plays and be a more impactful player again.

He isn't letting the presence of Carter stifle his competitiveness in the trenches and has the potential to author an enticing resume by the end of the season.

If he does that, it’s going to raise the bar that he will likely seek in a new contract from the Giants or any competing suitors on the open market.

The Giants have been working hard to manage their cap space, which hasn’t been the healthiest in recent years, and so it might behoove them to lock in one of their four talented edge rushers before the potential bidding can start to grow and take shape next year.

The outside linebacker’s current agreement has him slated to earn a straight-up base salary of $14.751 million for the 2026 season, which gets completely applied as a hit to the Giants’ cap space. 

If he were to make it to the 2027 offseason unsigned, Spotrac is estimating him to hold a market value of $20,429,037, which is the second largest for unrestricted free agent edge defenders that year.

The Giants entered this season with the expectation to boast one of the league's most improved defenses, headlined by a multifaceted defensive front that could get to the pocket and disrupt quarterbacks with a blend of versatility and speed, and wanted to see Thibodeaux be involved in the party before they opened the checkbook for their vocal first-round pick.

It's fair to say that Thibodeaux has held up his end of the bargain through four weeks, and another big day could come in Week 5 for him and his fellow pass rushers as the Giants visit the Saints, who have struggled to protect their quarterback and threaten opponents through the air.

They might not act on an extension this early in the journey to see if he can stay on the field and continue to produce. Still, if it were our call, there isn't much pointing away from keeping Thibodeaux and the current group together to complement a developing offense next season and beyond.