The Detroit Lions are entering the 2025 regular season with as complete a roster as they’ve had in decades, but one question remains: Do they have enough opposite Aidan Hutchinson to create a solid pass rush?
It’s a fair concern after an uneven preseason showing from the edge group, and if general manager Brad Holmes is serious about maximizing this team’s Super Bowl window, the trade market may hold the answer. One name who makes sense on multiple levels: New York Giants edge Kayvon Thibodeaux.
At 24, Thibodeaux has put together a résumé that suggests his best football is still in front of him, and he’s been the topic of trade talks since New York drafted Abdul Carter No. 3 overall in this year’s draft.
The Giants also have a two-time edge in Brian Burns, so they have a wealth of talent already in front of Thibodeaux on the depth chart. Could that make him expendable and a possibility for the Lions?
A Look Back at Thibodeaux’s First 3 Seasons in the NFL
Sarah Stier | GettyKayvon Thibodeaux may be the New York Giants’ most valuable trade chip. Should the Detroit Lions be interested?
Drafted fifth overall in 2022, Thibodeaux flashed as a rookie with 4.0 sacks, 13 QB hits and two forced fumbles. He took a leap in 2023, finishing with 11.5 sacks, 13 QB hits and 12 tackles-for-loss while starting all 17 games and showing improvement against the run.
His 2024 campaign was marred slightly by injury, and he managed 5.5 sacks in 12 starts. He did have a career-high 17 QB hits in those 12 games, so that’s an encouraging sign. Per PFF, he had 38 total pressures after finishing with 43 in 17 games the season prior.
Pairing Hutchinson with another young edge who can collapse pockets consistently would change the way other teams game-plan for the Lions. With D.J. Reader and Alim McNeill fortifying the middle, Thibodeaux would give the Lions another bookend that would force offenses pick their poison. In an über-tough division like the NFC North, the Lions are going to have to be shrewd and savvy if they want to stay on top. A move like this would qualify.
Heavy Sports’ Trade Proposal Has Detroit Lions Landing DE Kayvon Thibodeaux for 2nd-Round Pick
The current log jam of DEs in New York doesn’t mean the Giants are desperate to move him, but it does mean reasonable offers could get a conversation started. So, what might it take for the Giants to move on?
ESPN’s Seth Walder floated the idea of a future second as the headliner in a potential Thibodeaux deal. That feels like adequate compensation. We think if the Lions sent a 2026 second-round pick to New York in exchange for Thibodeaux, it would do the trick.
Fiscally speaking, Thibodeaux wouldn’t break the bank for Detroit. The Giants picked up his fifth-year option, which locks in his 2026 salary at just over $14.5 million. That gives an acquiring team two years of cost-controlled production at a premium position, before even getting to extension talks.
For Detroit, it’s the type of gamble good teams make. Two controlled years of a 25-year-old with proven production at a premium spot—opposite an All-Pro in Hutchinson—is the definition of maximizing a roster while the window is open. If the Lions want to finish the job they started last January, calling New York about Thibodeaux feels like more than just due diligence.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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