Conflicting Reports Emerge on Giants Willingness to Trade Star Rusher
Do the New York Giants want to trade Kayvon Thibodeaux, or do they not? That’s the question.
Conflicting reports emerged from Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports that the Giants could move Thibodeaux, yet those rumors were quickly rebuffed by NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport.
Thibodeaux is under contract through the 2026 NFL season after the Giants picked up his fifth-year option. The No. 5 pick of the 2022 NFL Draft from the Giants has 2.5 sacks this year and 21 tackles — and nearly recorded his first forced fumble Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.
In four years with the Giants, Thibodeaux has 23.5 sacks, 148 tackles, 31 tackles for loss, six forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and a touchdown.
The Giants (2-6) will host the San Francisco 49ers (5-3) on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
Jordan Schultz Floated Kayvon Thibodeaux Rumors
The trade deadline is in a week, and the Giants are four games under .500 — despite hopes of turning things around this season. With a star-laden front four, keyed by 2025 first-round pick Abdul Carter, plus NFL sack co-leader Brian Burns, the Giants could afford to part with Thibodeaux to improve other parts of their defense.
Or at least that was the reporting from the well-connected NFL insider Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports.
“Another name to watch on the trade front is #Giants EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux,” Schultz shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday. “He’s under contract for another year after this season, but some around the league have wondered whether he’s part of New York’s long-term plans and if he could become available with the Giants sitting at 2-6. Teams are actively exploring the pass-rush trade market, but movement has been slow — in part because there are so many available options.”
It would be understandable for the Giants to sell based on their position in last place, and especially after losing two star-caliber offensive players — Malik Nabers (knee) and Cam Skattebo (ankle) — to likely season-ending injuries.
Yet, the Giants pretty clearly rebuffed Schultz’s reporting.
Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport Swiftly Shot Down Those Kayvon Thibodeaux Rumors
Mike Garafolo has been covering the Giants for decades, first in his post for NJ.com then as a member of NFL Media.
So when Schultz’s reporting made it onto social media, Garafolo undoubtedly went straight to the source for either a confirmation or denial. He got the latter.
“Spoke to a few teams that reached out to the #Giants on Kayvon Thibodeaux and they’ve been told there’s no interest in trading him, sources say,” Garafolo posted on X. “Thibodeaux is under contract through next season after the team picked up his fifth-year option and they intend on having him in 2026.”
Rapoport then added some context to Garafolo’s reporting.
“The #Giants didn’t work to build up their defensive front only to start tearing it down,” Rapoport tweeted.
Aside from off loading a player under team control for another year, the timing does not make sense for the Giants to trade Thibodeaux this year.
They could trade him in the off-season and accrue no dead cap space after the league calendar flips in March, rather than taking on a $5 million dead-cap charge now, according to Over the Cap.
NFL Expected to Hand Down Punishment on Cowboys Troubled Linebacker
One week after scoring 44 points while allowing just 22 against the Washington Commanders, the Dallas Cowboys saw any momentum they may have gained from that inspiring win evaporate on Sunday when they walked away with almost the exact opposite result.
The Cowboys fell to the Denver Broncos, allowing 44 points this time while scoring just 24.
“The blame starts at the top in the front office and trickles down to the coaching staff,” wrote commentator Maitland Rutledge of the Cowboys site
Cowboys Player No Stranger to NFL Discipline
One of the three players who should be held most accountable, according to Rutledge, may also be expecting to face accountability not only from the Cowboys’ coaches and, of course, fans — but from the league itself.
That player is fourth-year edge rusher Sam Williams, who is no stranger to discipline handed down by the NFL.
“Williams also once again could not control himself after plays. He was seen mouthing off at opposing players after plays, and it came to a boiling point in the second quarter,” Rutledge recounted. “After the Broncos scored another touchdown to go up 20-10, Williams was called for an unnecessary roughness penalty. Due to the ball being moved closer to the goal line, Denver went for two.”
The penalty came after a one-yard touchdown carry by Broncos running back RJ Harvey with 3:47 remaining in the second quarter.
After the scoring play, Williams somehow got into a brief altercation with Denver offensive tackle Garrett Bolles and in the course of the skirmish, the 2022 second-round draft pick out of Ole Miss took a swing at the face mask of the Broncos lineman.
Penalty May be Seen as Repeat Offense
Williams was quickly flagged for an unnecessary roughness penalty, which was applied on the extra point — which brought the Broncos close enough to the end zone to attempt a two-point conversion.
The two-point try failed, but Williams now appears likely to face a fine. The question remains, however, of whether league officials will consider the penalty a face mask call.
If so, it would count as a second offense because on October 4, Williams was slapped with an $11,002 fine for a face mask on what would have been his first sack of the season when he took down Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love in Week Four.
If the NFL hits Williams with another face mask fine, as a second offense the punishment would set him back, according to the table of fines posted by the NFL Operations Office, another $17,389 against his salary this year of $1.6 million.
Last season, despite the fact that he spent the entire year on injured reserve, Williams was suspended three games for violations of the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Though he obviously was not going to play those three games anyway, Williams still saw his salary docked for those games — costing him $211,807, according to
The unnecessary roughness penalty against the Broncos was Williams’ fourth flag of the season, and 16th of the three seasons he has played.
In 2023, his last full season, Williams was called for eight penalties including another face mask call, a roughing the kicker penalty, another for running into the kicker and one for interfering with a fair catch.
