Overview
- Trade talks during the 2026 NFL Draft stalled when the Giants held out for a second-round pick and the Saints offered a fourth-rounder.
- The Giants kept Thibodeaux on his fifth-year option for 2026, preserving depth in a pass-rush group that already features Brian Burns and Abdul Carter with rookie Arvell Reese set to play inside linebacker.
- New Orleans viewed a second-round outlay as steep given Thibodeaux’s $14.8 million option year and the likelihood of only a distant compensatory pick if he left in free agency.
- The Saints addressed the need by trading a fifth-round pick for Raiders edge rusher Tyree Wilson in a pick swap and later signing Anfernee Jennings for added depth.
- Thibodeaux, the No. 5 pick in 2022, is coming off a 2023 breakout and a 2025 dip tied to a shoulder issue, and his 2026 form could shape any midseason trade decisions.