In a quiet moment between drills, Kayvon Thibodeaux stood on the sideline at the Giants’ minicamp this June, laughing with fellow edge rushers Brian Burns and rookie Abdul Carter. It was a rare pause in a day that had already featured a flurry of reps, coaching points, and one-on-one mentoring sessions. But beneath the relaxed exterior, Thibodeaux is clearly a man on a mission — both for his team and, perhaps more urgently, for himself.
“I’m healthy, I’m fast, I’m strong, I’m excited,” Thibodeaux told reporters after practice. “Things have been good.”
It’s the kind of line you expect to hear in June. But with Thibodeaux, it carried extra weight. After three seasons of stops and starts, of promise flashing in one moment and frustration creeping in the next, the 2022 No. 5 overall pick is entering 2025 with something to prove — and an acute awareness of the pressure to finally deliver on it.
Owning the Moment
Thibodeaux isn’t running from expectations. If anything, he’s welcoming them — just on his terms.
“I’m a consistent double-digit sack guy, and I got to do that,” he said. “It has been three years, going on four now. It has been a lot of ups and downs in my career and as a team, but I think this is a team that can win and I can help that.”
For the first time since arriving in East Rutherford, the deck feels stacked in his favor. The team picked up his fifth-year option earlier this offseason, offering him at least some contract clarity. His body is right. The defensive line has been fortified with the addition of Carter, the explosive Penn State star. And perhaps most importantly, Thibodeaux himself sounds centered — aware of past mistakes, but unburdened by them.
“I can only control the now,” he said. “The now, I got to get better at pass rushing. I got to get better at stopping the run. That’s what I’m focused on.”
He’s already studied every snap from last season, especially the back half after returning from a mid-season injury.
“I didn’t finish,” he admitted. “I think I had five half-sacks that should have been whole sacks. Probably four or five missed tackles at the sack point. Just finishing my plays — that’s where I need to grow.”
The Mentorship Turn
One of the most telling signs of Thibodeaux’s evolution? He’s now the one guiding the next generation.
Abdul Carter, the Giants’ first-round pick in April, finds himself in the same media-heavy spotlight Thibodeaux once occupied. But Carter has two All-Pro edge defenders in his corner: Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux. Both have taken time this spring to coach Carter up on the field — not because they were asked to, but because they saw value in investing in someone they now consider part of the “gauntlet.”
“Man, he’s a beast,” Thibodeaux said of Carter. “He’s fast, explosive, smart… excited. He gives us another guy up front to rush. He’s taken his role really strongly — inside, outside — and we’re excited to have him.”
Asked what he’s told Carter about the NFL transition, Thibodeaux got reflective.
“Just keep doing what you’re doing,” he said. “I think you lose that when you come into the league because the lights are brighter and there’s a lot more people asking you questions. But honestly, just stick to what got you here and keep your head down and grind.”
He paused, then added: “When you get too focused on everybody else’s expectations… that’s when you start to lose yourself.”
It’s a telling admission — not just advice for a rookie, but a glimpse into Thibodeaux’s own journey.
A Defense Reimagined
The Giants’ front office seems determined to build a defense that reflects Thibodeaux’s fire: aggressive, cohesive, and disruptive. Burns was a massive addition via trade. Carter adds athleticism and flexibility. And in the secondary, GM Joe Schoen brought in two cerebral veterans: cornerback Paulson Adebo and safety Jevón Holland, Thibodeaux’s old teammate from Oregon.
“Man, I love having Jevón,” Thibodeaux said. “He’s always been a field general. He makes his teammates better, he knows everything that’s going on… that’s going to help some of the younger guys step up.”
There’s also growing familiarity with coordinator Shane Bowen’s system in year two.
“I see confidence,” Thibodeaux said of Bowen. “Last year it was a new defense, a lot of moving parts. But it’s a lot more confidence now — in the team and in the guys running the plays.”
The chemistry seems intentional. “It’s kind of interesting how Joe went and got a Stanford guy for Bobby [Okereke], an Oregon guy for me, and now we got a couple Oregon guys on the team. Guys who know each other, who can play well together.”
The Quiet Fire
Throughout the media session, Thibodeaux played it cool. But beneath the jokes and quips about offensive lines (“All offensive lines suck to me,” he said, grinning), there’s a clear urgency. He may laugh, but he’s done playing games.
“I’ve always been hungry,” he said flatly. “I grew up poor and this is an opportunity to make more money than you’ll ever make in your life. So there’s no added pressure. The motivation isn’t to get here — it’s to stay here. And once you’re here, you’re in a land full of lions. You got to come out on top.”
Each year, he sets ambitious numbers. Sacks. Tackles. Disruption metrics. It’s less about stats for their own sake and more about accountability. Progress.
“Every time I come out on the field, I want more sacks than I ever had, more tackles than I ever had,” he said. “I’m still going for the record — I’ll go for the record every year.”
Focus in the Noise
One of the final questions lobbed his way hit on something deeper. Has he ever felt distracted by the noise — the criticism, the expectations, the whispers about consistency?
He didn’t dodge it.
“I think it’s every week,” he said. “You don’t let it stack up. Every week, you answer these questions, and you reevaluate who you are. You read it. You digest it. You flush it. And you move on.”
That’s the kind of process a veteran adopts — not just a talent trying to survive in the NFL, but a pro trying to win in it.
And now, in year four, Kayvon Thibodeaux isn’t chasing the idea of greatness anymore. He’s ready to prove it’s already within him.
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