The New York Giants have made it clear they know their value, and they weren't about to let a rival team shortchange them on a key defensive piece.
According to a report from The Athletic's Dan Duggan, the New Orleans Saints approached the Giants during the NFL Draft with a trade offer for edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux. But the proposed deal didn't sit well with New York's front office—and for good reason.
The Saints' best offer was reportedly a fourth-round pick (No. 132 overall). The Giants, however, were looking for a second-rounder—specifically the 42nd overall pick that New Orleans held. That gap in valuation was simply too wide to bridge, and the Giants quickly shut down the conversation.
It's not hard to see why New York held firm. Thibodeaux, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Oregon, has shown flashes of elite pass-rushing ability. His 2023-24 campaign was a breakout, with 11.5 sacks that had the league taking notice. While his sack numbers have dipped over the past two seasons, he remains a disruptive force off the edge—exactly the kind of player who can change the course of a game when he's at his best.
The Saints, for their part, pivoted quickly. They sent a fifth-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders for defensive end Tyree Wilson and a seventh-rounder. Wilson, the seventh overall pick in 2023, has 12 sacks in three seasons and is due $4.2 million in the final year of his rookie deal. That's a significant discount compared to Thibodeaux, whose fifth-year option salary sits at $14.8 million.
Still, the Giants' stance is clear: Thibodeaux is worth a second or third-round pick, at minimum. A fourth-rounder? That's a non-starter, and New York sniffed it out immediately. If the Giants ever decide to move on from their former first-round pick, they'll be looking for a respectable haul—not a bargain-bin offer.
For a team that values building through the draft and developing homegrown talent, this wasn't just about one trade. It was about sending a message: the Giants know what they have, and they won't let anyone undervalue it.