Giants picking up Kayvon Thibodeaux's fifth-year option after drafting Abdul Carter with No. 3 pick

Thibodeaux has totaled 21 sacks in his first three NFL seasons

Just minutes after the New York Giants selected Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter with the No. 3 overall pick, general manager Joe Schoen announced that Kayvon Thibodeaux would be sticking around too. Schoen revealed that the Giants have picked up Thibodeaux's fifth-year option, keeping him under contract through 2026.

Coming into the 2025 NFL Draft, Thibodeaux's future with the Giants was up in the air. In 2024, his third NFL season, Thibodeaux took a bit of a step back with eight tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. That lead to a lot of trade speculation around Thibodeaux, especially with New York eyeing Carter at the top of this draft.

Instead, Thibodeaux will remain with the Giants for the near future. Schoen dispelled any notion that New York is going to move its 24-year-old edge rusher.

The Giants are going to execute Kayvon Thibodeaux’s fifth-year option, per GM Joe Schoen. He’s not going anywhere.

“Kayvon is going to be here. …. You can’t have enough pass rushers,” Schoen said.

— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) April 25, 2025

Along with Brian Burns and Carter, Thibodeaux will form a three-headed monster that should give opposing quarterbacks serious problems. Add in Dexter Lawrence in the interior, and the Giants' defensive line is shaping up to be very formidable in 2025.

The Giants selected Thibodeaux with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, and he earned All-Rookie team honors that season. In his first three years with the Giants, Thibodeaux has totaled 26 tackles for loss and 21 sacks.

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Despite already having Burns and Thibodeaux on the edges, the Giants passed on drafting their next franchise quarterback to select Carter. NFL expert Josh Edwards explains why that was the correct call.