NFL Trade Rumor: Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints linked to $14.75 million New York Giants' defensive star

The New York Giants’ star player, Kayvon Thibodeaux, suffered a brutal shoulder injury in the last season as he recorded a career low 2.5 sacks, 13 combined tackles, and zero forced fumbles across 10 games.

While the team has remained distant from trade rumors, the Kansas City Chiefs and the New Orleans Saints have been linked to the star player.

Which teams are interested in Kayvon Thibodeaux?

Over the last few weeks, as per NFL insiders, many rival teams have been reportedly eyeing Kayvon Thibodeaux.This includes the Kansas City Chiefs, the New Orleans Saints and the New England Patriots even though nothing has been confirmed yet.

What are insiders saying about the trade rumors?

A few days ago, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano predicted that the Kansas City Chiefs and the New Orleans Saints could be looking to trade for Kayvon Thibodeaux.In a recent report by ESPN, the NFL insiders noted, “In recent drafts, the Chiefs have been dumping picks into edge rusher to find more juice: 2023 first-rounder Felix Anudike-Uzomah, 2025 third-rounder Ashton Gillotte and 2026 second-rounder R Mason Thomas. Why not add one more dart throw in Thibodeaux, who can fill a designated pass-rush role while Gillotte takes more early-down work? The Chiefs do have an extra third-rounder next year as a result of the Trent McDuffie trade, but I don't think the Giants will be able to wrench a Day 2 pick from anyone for Thibodeaux, who has been only a rotational player to this point in his career.

”The report added, “The Giants would likely need a quality Day 2 pick to part with Thibodeaux, especially with Arvell Reese starting his career at inside linebacker. But New Orleans has inquired about Thibodeaux and still has a need at edge rusher after failing to reach a deal with Cameron Jordan thus far. In 2027, the Saints have a third-rounder and two fourth-rounders with which to maneuver.”

Contract details and salary cap implications

For the New York Giants, trading Kayvon Thibodeaux would mean clearing his entire $14.75 million salary and facing no financial penalty for it.If the Kansas City Chiefs trade for Kayvon Thibodeaux, his $14.75 million contract might be a bit too expensive for the team. As per reports, the Chiefs might have to restructure a veteran’s contract for having enough room to fit Kayvon Thibodeaux on the roster.For the New Orleans Saints, it seems the team could sign a contract extension with Kayvon Thibodeaux. Instead of paying Kayvon Thibodeaux's full $14.75 million salary all at once in 2026, they might spread that cost out over several future years on paper, even though his contract ends after one season.

How could the trade impact the teams?

For the New York Giants, while trading Kayvon Thibodeaux would mean losing a high potential edge rusher, it will also free up to $14.75 million which the team might use to fix other weak spots on the roster.If the Kansas City Chiefs sign Kayvon Thibodeaux, he would end up teaming with Chris Jones and George Karlaftis, which might prove pretty successful for the team.For the New Orleans Saints, Kayvon Thibodeaux would provide an immediate boost to an aging defense even though his contract might add more debt to the team.