The New York Giants picked up Kayvon Thibodeaux’s fifth-year option in May — a wise move to keep the 24-year-old pass rusher under contract through the 2026 season. Thibodeaux is set to make $14.8 million in 2026.
Since selecting Thibodeaux fifth overall in 2022, the Giants have made heavy investments in his position group. They traded for Brian Burns and selected Abdul Carter third overall; Burns is currently entering his second year of a five-year, $141 million contract ($28.2 million AAV), with $87.5 million guaranteed.
Joe Schoen did an excellent job locating an available 25-year-old pass rusher with 60+ pressure upside, and promptly paying him for half a decade at the expense of just a second-round pick with a fifth-pick swap. Burns is now a team captain. New York offered that contract to Burns a year and a half ago, and he’s currently the ninth-highest-paid edge rusher, per average annual value.
Since the Burns’ deal, several top edge defenders in the league have received massive paydays. The Cleveland Browns gave 30-year-old Myles Garrett a four-year, $160 million contract extension this offseason ($40-million AAV), which made him — at the time — the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
The Micah Parsons trade to Green Bay secured that honor from Garrett; the Packers gave Parsons a four-year, $186-million contract ($46.5 million AAV). Green Bay applied several option bonuses throughout Parsons’ contract to make it more affordable. Still, it’s a massive commitment and amount of money.
Of course, top market players like Garrett and Parsons are likely to receive enormous contracts — that’s not very surprising or overly concerning when discussing Thibodeaux’s future with the Giants. However, other players in the EDGE market are now receiving large contracts that will rightfully act as a baseline in future negotiations for Thibodeaux and his team.
The Denver Broncos extended pass rusher Nik Bonitto on a four-year, $120 million deal with $70 million guaranteed; this is less guaranteed money, but more AAV than Brian Burns ($30 million AAV for Bonitto).
Bonitto recorded 57 pressures in 2024 (18th-most of edge defenders, per Pro Football Focus) with 13.5 sakcs and 16 tackles for a loss. It was a Pro Bowl, All-Pro season for Bonitto. However, Bonitto is a pass-rushing specialist who ranked 104th of 211 eligible EDGE rushers, per PFF.
Both entered the league in 2022, but Bonitto had a true break-out season on a playoff team. Thibodeaux had two consecutive seasons of 44 pressures that were followed up by a 38-pressure season last year (one where he only played 12 games). Thibodeaux is currently only two sacks behind Bonitto for his career, and the Giant has 40+ more total tackles.
Playing next to Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns, and Abdul Carter will give Thibodeaux plenty of opportunity to earn more statistics and drive his value on the market upward.
The Giants are now in a position where the Bonitto contract will be the baseline of Thibodeaux’s deal. The Giants have Jaxson Dart on a rookie deal for the foreseeable future, which gives them plenty of cap flexibility, but Burns is under contract through the 2028 season, and Malik Nabers is eligible for an extension after the 2026 season.
Will the Giants be in a position to pay Thibodeaux? Should they even pay him? New York has seen way too many talented players walk out the door after their rookie contracts expired: Saquon Barkley, Xavier McKinney, Julian Love, Evan Engram, etc. But will Thibodeaux do enough on the field to warrant a second contract from the Giants, or will the presence of Abdul Carter force Thibodeaux to explore the market?
Tough decisions await Joe Schoen and the Giants, but the team has found itself in a healthier cap situation than in previous seasons, especially after the Giants restructured Andrew Thomas’ deal to free up $12.2 million in cap space. New York can still do this same thing with Dexter Lawrence.
Thibodeaux has a crucial year ahead of him. He can earn a lot of money with statistical success on the football field. But will that money come from the pockets of the Giants’ owners? That remains to be seen.
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