Proposed trade has Bears targeting former first-rounder for pass rush boost

Despite an offseason full of upgrades for the Chicago Bears, one position remains a sizable question mark entering the 2025 NFL season: edge rusher.

Sure, general manager Ryan Poles signed Dayo Odeyingbo to a lucrative three-year, $48 million contract in free agency, but Odeyingbo’s skill set is considered more of an inside-outside, three-down player than a true pass-rushing threat.

That leaves Montez Sweat as the only viable sack artist on the Bears’ defensive line. If Poles wants to elevate Chicago’s defense from a formidable group to one that can challenge to be among the best in the NFC, he may want to consider the trade market for an upgrade opposite Sweat, and a player who fits that criteria happens to be a name that’s frequently mentioned in trade rumors: Former New York Giants first-round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux.

Thibodeaux entered the NFL with a dazzling scouting report, which led to his selection as the fifth overall pick by the Giants in the 2022 NFL Draft. And while his career hasn’t quite lived up to the pre-draft hype, he does have an 11.5-sack season on his resume (2023). His production dipped in 2024 (5.5 sacks in 12 games), but he remains one of the league’s ascending young pass rushers.

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Kayvon Thibodeaux makes sense for the Chicago Bears

Thibodeaux doesn’t turn 25 until December, and while most teams wouldn’t even entertain trade talks for a player with his pedigree, the Giants already have Brian Burns and this year’s No. 3 overall pick, Abdul Carter, on the roster. Thibodeaux is a luxury that Big Blue can flip into a quality 2026 NFL Draft pick, and Poles has proven during his tenure in Chicago that he isn’t afraid to part with second-round picks for players he thinks can upgrade the roster.

Working on a big edge rusher project and the most improved NFL edge in 2024 was Kayvon Thibodeaux. Much more precise with his hands and his long-arm was more effective. Really like him as a #3 who can win with power and speed pic.twitter.com/6qs1vNC6vl

— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) May 13, 2025

A recent poll on X (formerly Twitter) suggests Bears fans would be happy with a trade for Thibodeaux, too.

Should the Chicago Bears try to trade for Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux?

— Bears Talk (@TheBearsTalk) June 28, 2025

The Giants exercised their fifth-year option in Kayvon Thibodeaux’s contract, but that doesn’t mean a team that trades for him would be on the hook for the 2026 season. New York isn’t, either. The fifth-year option can be rescinded by the club. While I don’t think the Giants would rescind that fifth year, I also don’t think Thibodeaux will be in New York next season. A trade feels inevitable, and the match with Chicago is undeniable.

Thibodeaux will cost more than just a draft pick, should the Bears decide to pursue the former Oregon star. He represents a $9.9 million cap hit in 2025, and his fifth-year option is projected to be in excess of $14.7 million in 2026. In reality, any team that trades for Thibodeaux would likely do so with a new contract ready to go for him.

Whether Poles thinks the Chicago Bears are close enough to becoming a legitimate Super Bowl contender that a deal like this would be warranted remains to be seen. But can he really go into the 2025 season with such a thin pass-rushing group? It would seem like a foolish strategy, especially for a team that has so much upside on offense. The last thing Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams, and the Bears need is for the defense to allow games to stay close, which is often the case when the pass rush can’t get home.