Offbeat Trade Idea Connects New OLB to Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings might have a slight roster deficiency at outside linebacker after trading Jonathan Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles last month, and Fansided says the best way to fix that is a trade for New York Giants defender Kayvon Thibodeaux.

The price may be manageable if New York ever shops the former No. 5 pick.

Several free-agent EDGE rushers are also on the open market, but Jake Beckman claims Thibodeaux is the way.

Brian Flores Could Use Another Young EDGE Piece

For the most part, Vikings fans would approve of this transaction.

Fansided: Thibodeaux to Vikings via Trade Makes Sense

Beckman identified one trade candidate per team this week, and on Thibodeaux to Minnesota, he wrote, “The Vikings traded Johnathon Greenard to the Eagles during the draft, and now they’re going to be missing out on a whole lot of snaps and even more production. Luckily for them, the Giants are sitting there with a plethora of defensive ends and edge rushers.”

“New York might be saying that they’re not going to trade Kayvon Thibodeaux, but that’s what every team says, so they don’t lose leverage in any potential trades. If the Vikings wanted to go and get him, they’d definitely be able to… However, if you’re a Vikings fan, that’s probably not what you want.”

Four years ago, Thibodeaux was considered one of the next big things in the NFL.

Beckman continued, “Sure, Thibodeaux would end up being awesome, but I don’t necessarily want my team to make any trades when they don’t have a general manager. Especially after they just traded a player like Greenard for the low price of two third-round picks.”

Thibodeaux’s Production

Curious about Thibodeaux’s track record? We’ve got it. These are the numbers:

And his Pro Football Focus scorecard since 2022:

• 2022: 72.5
• 2023: 58.4
• 2024: 69.0
• 2025: 66.0

It’s worth noting that Thibodeaux’s tackling has waned over the last two seasons; he’ll need to improve it before too long.

Possible Trade Price

NFL trade packages notoriously vary, but for Thibodeaux, an interested team might have to pony up the equivalent of a 3rd- or 4th-Rounder. The man does pressure quarterbacks, and he’ll always have the fifth overall draft pick stock from 2022.

For example, if Minnesota wanted him, a deal might have to look like this:

Minnesota notably doesn’t have a 4th-Round pick next year because of its ill-fated Adam Thielen trade in 2025. What’s more, the Vikings have an extra 3rd-Rounder in 2027 because of the aforementioned Greenard trade to the Eagles last month — perhaps more firepower to land a notable EDGE via trade.

The Athletic‘s Dan Duggan noted on Thibodeaux’s trade price in April, “The Saints were the team most interested in trading for Thibodeaux, however, according to a league source. The problem was the sides weren’t close on potential compensation.”

“The Saints’ best offer is believed to have been a fourth-round pick (No. 132), while the Giants were seeking a second-round pick — the Saints had the 42nd selection. The Saints moved on, instead sending a fifth-round pick to the Raiders for defensive end Tyree Wilson and a seventh-round pick.”

In-House Options at OLB

If the Vikings do not consult a trade for a third pass rusher, they have a few options behind the starters, Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner. The first is rookie Jake Golday. Minnesota drafted him as an off-ball linebacker, but he played some EDGE in junior college before taking the plunge at ILB in Cincinnati. Flores could deploy Golday like Van Ginkel, a hybrid OLB-ILB.

Flores also has two undrafted free-agent outside linebackers: Bo Richter and Tyler Batty. One of those men could be ready for a breakout, at least in OLB3 terms, and if so, Minnesota would need no Thibodeauxs.

Otherwise, the free-agent market has names like Denico Autry, Derek Barnett, Joey Bosa, Jadeveon Clowney, Marcus Davenport, A.J. Epenesa, Leonard Floyd, Cameron Jordan, Von Miller, Haason Reddick, and Kyle Van Noy.

Thibodeaux will turn 26 in December. He’s right in the middle of his prime. He’ll also need a new contract between now and next March.

Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker