The two fifth-year edge defenders are basically the same player, production-wise.
In four seasons since the Jaguars made Walker the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Walker has 27.5 sacks in 63 games, or one sack every 2.29 games. Thibodeaux has 23.5 sacks in 53 games, one sack every 2.25 games.
Walker has 57 quarterback hits, .90 per game; Thibodeaux has 55 QB hits, 1.03 per game.
Walker has 200 tackles, 3.17 per game; Thibodeaux has 2.87 per game.
Walker has seven passes defensed; Thibodeaux has 13.
Walker’s Pro Football and Sports Network Impact Scores have ranged from 78.2 to 80.2 in his four seasons; Thibodeaux has a low Impact Score of 76.5 in 2023, and a high of 83.6 last season.
They are, in reality, eerily similar in productivity.
In 2027, Brian Burns’ $44.083 million cap hit is estimated by Spotrac to take 13.65% of the Giants’ cap space. Abdul Carter’s $12.3 million cap hit is another 3.8%, and he will by looking for his own mega-contract soon should his production increase.
A contract similar to Walker’s would end up being roughly another 8% of the Giants’ 2027 cap.
Could the Giants actually use roughly 25% of their cap space on three players at one position, and still have resources to build an effective roster?
That is the conundrum the Giants face with Thibodeaux. It is why we will continue to hear trade speculation around Thibodeaux, whether or not it is something the Giants really want to do.
