Trade rumors involving New York Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux have been at the forefront of the rumor mill on Day 2 of the draft. Speculation linked Thibodeaux with a trade to the New Orleans Saints, and the DE himself did little to quiet those rumors.
Despite it being reported by a reputable source, Giants general manager Joe Schoen has refuted any rumors around a potential move.
Joe Schoen Shuts Down Kayvon Thibodeaux Trade Rumors
With the fifth overall pick in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Schoen and the Giants drafted Thibodeaux out of the University of Oregon. Over the past four seasons, Thibodeaux has recorded 152 combined tackles, 31 tackles for loss, 55 quarterback hits, 13 passes defended, six forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery touchdown.
In PFSN’s NFL Edge Impact Metric, he had his best season with an impact score of 83.6 and a letter grade of B, ranking 19th. Across four seasons, his average edge impact score is 79.8.
With the production, there’s no doubt that teams would be interested in trading for him. The Saints were among the teams credited with interest. Thibodeaux stoked those rumors by posting the following image on Instagram, as if he to bid goodbye to the franchise:
Kayvon Thibodeaux on IG just now: https://t.co/cKX2WEIPWG pic.twitter.com/w1iVCSpeab
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 24, 2026
Despite it seeming like a trade was imminent, NFL Insider Jordan Raanan reported that Schoen denied the potential move.
“Joe Schoen says there is no truth whatsoever to any talks right now on Kayvon Thibodeaux. ‘That’s not true,’ he said.”
Joe Schoen says there is no truth whatsoever to any talks right now on Kayvon Thibodeaux.
“That’s not true,” he said.
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) April 24, 2026
In PFSN’s NFL Defensive Impact Metric for the 2025 season, the Saints defense ranked suprisingly well at 10th. Not only that, but they had an impact score of 80.6, which equates to a B- grade.
In PFSN’s NFL Edge Rusher Impact Metic, their highest graded edge rusher was Chase Young, who ranked 11th with an impact score of 86.5 and a letter grade of B. Following him was Carl Granderson, who ranked 59th with an impact score of 73.5 and a letter grade of C.
Surprisingly, Cameron Jordan ranked much lower than he has in previous seasons. He finished last season with an impact score of 71.1 and a letter grade of C-, placing him 75th. Their worst ranked edge rusher was Chris Rumph II. He finished ranked 118th with an impact score of 60.1 nd a letter grade of D-.
If Thibodeaux was available for trade, it would be a great pickup for the Saints, whose edge rusher room falls off when you look past Young. However, he’s not available for trade (or so Schoen says), so they’ll have to pivot and look for an edge rusher in the draft, unless they can cough up a package to Schoen’s liking.
That said, John Harbaugh has made it clear he would like to hang on to good players for however long they can as they embark on a new era.
