The New York Giants have two very important decisions to make when it comes to their 2022 first-round draft picks, outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux and offensive tackle Evan Neal.
Both players’ fifth-year options are on the table this offseason (the deadline is May 1) and the Giants aren’t likely to extend Neal, a seventh-overall pick who has been a disappointment, but will likely exercise Thibodeaux’s.
“The Giants are strongly leaning toward picking up his fifth-year option,” the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz writes of Thibodeaux, the fifth overall pick in 2022 out of Oregon.
That decision must be made by May 1. If they do pick it up, Thibodeaux is guaranteed $16.1 million for the 2026 season.
Former Giants executive Marc Ross, now an NFL Network studio analyst, also believes the Giants will pick up Thibodeaux’s option.
Thibodeaux hasn’t quite had the production Big Blue envisioned, but injuries (he missed games as a rookie and in 2024) have certainly played a part in that. His best season undoubtedly occurred in 2023, when he logged 11.5 sacks, four passes defensed and three forced fumbles. He’s certainly done enough for New York to exercise the fifth-year option. I’d imagine the organization wants to keep the dominant defensive line trio of Thibodeaux, Brian Burns and Dexter Lawrence intact.
Thibodeaux was Joe Schoen’s first draft pick as Giants general manager. He has some credibility and accountability here to consider. What does it say about his ability to judge talent if he doesn’t pick up the options on both of his top 10 picks from 2022?
