As the New York Giants face a roster squeeze, a proposed bargain deal could send the former top-five pick to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Kansas City Chiefs went into the 2026 NFL Draft being linked to several star pass rushers in the class.
In the end, the Chiefs selected LSU Tigers star cornerback Mansoon Delane with their top-10 pick in the first round, and they added defensive tackle Peter Woods with a later pick in the first round.
And, they selected R. Mason Thomas, an edge rusher from Oklahoma, in the second round in hopes of addressing the key need to add a star pass rusher.
One pass rusher who could be traded is New York Giants star Kayvon Thibodeaux, who was the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft after a standout career with the Oregon Ducks.
Thibodeaux is on the fifth-year of his rookie deal, and the Giants have Brian Burns and 2025 first-round pick Abdul Carter also in the room, so there might not be space long-term for Thibodeaux.
ESPN had some hypothetical trade offers for the Giants star, and the Chiefs were involved in one of them.
ESPN's Ben Solak had the Chiefs sending a 2027 fourth-round pick to the Giants to land Thibodeaux.
The Chiefs have been active in recent drafts trying to add young pass rushers.
In 2023, they drafted Felix Anudike-Uzomah, and in 2025 they selected Ashton Gilotte before taking Mason Thomas this season.
"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," Solak wrote.
Before the draft, the Giants traded veteran defensive tackle to the Cincinnati Bengals for the 10th overall pick, and the Giants might feel the need to trade Thibodeaux for something rather than risk seeing him walk in the 2027 free agency class next March.
On the other hand, John Harbaugh, the Giants' new coach, loves stockpiling pass rushers, and he might feel inclined to keep Thibodeaux around to see if New York can make a playoff push in his first season as head coach in the Big Apple.
Chiefs GM Brett Veach knows the Super Bowl window is shrinking, so maybe pushing more chips into the center of the table is something that he ends up doing.
ESPN also named the Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots as other teams who they listed as potential trade partners, but the Chiefs have made it no secret that they want to upgrade their pass rushing group.
