Shortly after the Giants took Edge Abdul Carter third in the draft, ESPN's Jordan Ranaan reported that the team will exercise the fifth-year option on Edge Kayvon Thibodeaux's rookie contract. That extends his deal through 2026.
2025 Fantasy Football Impact
Thibodeaux has been merely OK through three seasons with the Giants. He tallied 11.5 sacks as a 2023 NFL sophomore but sandwiched that between seasons of 4.0 and 5.5 sacks.
Thibodeaux also lost time to injuries in his first and third seasons. And even his advanced pressure metrics in 2023 looked less impressive than his sack total.
That not only produced questions about whether the team would pick up his option. Thibodeaux had also been mentioned as a potential trade candidate.
That could still be possible -- especially after 2025 if the Giants move on from Schoen. But we should assume Thibs will at least be around for this season.
That raises the question of just how much playing time will be available for the edge trio.
The talent at the position is certainly good for the Giants' defense on whole. We'll see about the impact on Thibodeaux's playing time.
Expect him to land in DL3 territory in our IDP rankings.
Other Winners & Losers
Thibodeaux's fifth-year option can't be good news for Carter. It doesn't block the incoming rookie from earning a role, but it likely limits his playing-time ceiling -- and could mean he'll play less than 50% of the defensive snaps as a rookie.
We'll watch for signals on how the playing time will be split.