00:00Okay, where are we going to start as far as these Giants defensive line players
00:04and the thoughts that they might be traded?
00:06Okay, let's start with the ridiculous and then move on to the near ridiculous.
00:11Number one, the Giants will trade or look to trade Dexter Lawrence.
00:15False, ridiculous, not true.
00:17They are not in the business of giving away their best players or their better players
00:22when they have no one to replace them with.
00:24Yes, I know Dexter Lawrence is coming off a bad year for him.
00:28Yes, I know Dexter Lawrence has two years remaining on his contract,
00:31the original four-year deal for $87.5 million.
00:35And that, you know, by some estimates, Dexter Lawrence might now be underpaid
00:40after he got a market value contract a few years ago.
00:43Maybe Dexter Lawrence isn't happy about that.
00:46First of all, Dexter Lawrence has no leverage.
00:48He's not coming off a great year.
00:50Two years ago, he was one of the best, if not the best defensive linemen in the league.
00:54He had nine sacks two years ago.
00:56That was outrageous for an interior defensive lineman.
01:00Joe Shane said here in Indianapolis at the scouting combine that his elbow might not have been 100% most
01:07of the year,
01:07but he tried to play through it.
01:09Kudos to Dexter Lawrence if that is indeed the case.
01:12But they are not going to trade him.
01:14I don't think Dexter Lawrence is incredibly disgruntled.
01:17And, you know, he wants out.
01:19Yes, the losing has been hard on Dexter Lawrence.
01:21I get it.
01:22It's understandable.
01:23It should be hard on him.
01:24He did not always react great after games with the media and things like that.
01:29Okay, I get that too.
01:31He's not a natural leader and a natural spokesman for those kind of things after a tough loss, you know,
01:37week after week after week.
01:39But John Harbaugh has no interest in trading him.
01:41They're not going to trade him, and that's all there is to it.
01:43They want to get better on defense, not worse.
01:46As far as Caban Thibodeau.
01:47Okay, that one at least I can entertain in some way, shape, or form.
01:52He is not coming off a great year.
01:54He only played in 10 games last year.
01:56The year before, he only played in 12 games.
01:59His best season was 2023 when he had played, lo and behold, he started all 17 games.
02:06And that 11 and a half sacks, that is what the best we've seen of Caban Thibodeau so far.
02:13Caban has had injury issues.
02:14That is a concern.
02:15And he is signed for the one-year, fifth-year option of $14.75 million.
02:21That's what he will count on the salary cap this year.
02:24That's not ideal, but it's also not terrible for a starting-caliber defensive end outside linebacker.
02:30Look, the Giants have Abdul Carter.
02:32They have Brian Burns, and they have Caban Thibodeau.
02:34That is a strength.
02:35That is something they can build their defense around.
02:38When you look at the Giants, you can say, what do they do well?
02:41They should have three edge rushers who can all be on the field, sometimes at the same time,
02:46sometimes in a rotation, and they will be better than most teams' edge rushers.
02:50There's no question about that.
02:51That is how the Giants basically won a Super Bowl in Super Bowl XLII after the 2007 season
02:59with Michael Strahan and Ossie Eumannior and Justin Tuck.
03:02And that is basically how they won a Super Bowl four years later after the 2011 season.
03:08Super Bowl XLVI with Eumannior, Tuck, and Jason Pierre-Paul.
03:12There's no reason for that formula to not be used this year.
03:16Now, Caban Thibodeau is signed for one year, like we said.
03:21And will he be back with the team next year?
03:23You know, I would say the odds are no.
03:24I wrote about that in Post Sports Plus this past week in the New York Post,
03:28that if he has a great year, he will go into free agency and command a lot of money,
03:33and the Giants probably won't pay that, already having Brian Burns and having probably at that point,
03:37hopefully, they hope to re-sign Abdul Carter for big money.
03:40If he has a bad year, there's no reason to bring him back.
03:43I mean, he has an average year.
03:44Maybe he comes back, but the odds are maybe he doesn't.
03:47So I get it.
03:47This could be Caban's last year with the Giants.
03:50So why not try to trade him?
03:51Well, they can look.
03:52Joe Shane, the general manager, said last year at the trade deadline,
03:56more teams called about Caban than any other player.
03:59That makes sense.
04:01They got no kind of deal that they thought was interesting, so they didn't take it.
04:06I believe this year, and I've been told that unless there is a knock-you-out-of-the-park offer
04:10for Caban Thibodeau,
04:12he's not going to be dealt.
04:13I don't think John Harbaugh wants to get rid of him.
04:15I think John Harbaugh wants to use that three-headed monster as rushers to benefit the defense,
04:20not to hurt the defense.
04:22Sure, they would like to get more draft picks.
04:24Yes, they don't have a third-round pick this year.
04:26They traded that for Jackson Dart.
04:28They would do that again in a minute.
04:29So if they could get a great draft pick back for Caban Thibodeau, I think they would do that.
04:35What is a great draft pick?
04:37Maybe a second-round pick, a first-round pick.
04:39I don't think they're getting that.
04:40I don't think they're getting a third-round pick.
04:42So anything other than that, I think Caban Thibodeau stays on the team.
04:46He'll be highly motivated.
04:48He'll be playing for a contract.
04:49He'll be playing for a new coach.
04:50And a new defensive coordinator.
04:52So I think in 2026, Dexter Lawrence will be there.
04:55And I'm pretty sure Caban Thibodeau will be there as well.
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