Kayvon Thibodeaux Not Worried About Silencing Critics

Thibodeaux is more concerned with proving to himself and his teammates that he is every inch the player he believes he can be.

New York Giants outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux had a clear vision of how he wanted to approach his second NFL season.

Thibodeaux, the fifth overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, focused on those plays he missed as a rookie, seeking to better use his strength and awareness to clean up the missed opportunities and be more of a problem solver on defense.

So far, so good. Thibodeaux, formerly of Oregon, is having a breakout second season. He currently leads the Giants in sacks with 11.5. He is the first Giants defender to record double-digits in that statistical category since former defensive lineman Leonard Williams finished with that total in 2020.

Oct 29, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux (5) reacts after sacking New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson (2) during the second half at MetLife Stadium / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Thibodeaux also has a team-leading 12 tackles for loss, is second in quarterback hits with 14 (five behind team leader Dexter Lawrence), and is second with three forced fumbles, one fewer than team leader Bobby Okereke, and has been solid enough when asked to drop into coverage.

Add it all up, and it amounts to an impactful season for the outgoing Thibodeaux.

"I said that the guy has no ceiling," defensive coordinator Wink Martindale said. "The reason why he doesn't have a ceiling is because he doesn't allow himself to have a ceiling. He's in here working every day. He and (Outside Linebackers Coach) Drew (Wilkins) are in there watching tape from everything from A to Z because that's what he does."

"To me, he's a finisher at the football, whether it's a sack, a strip sack, or the play you saw on Monday night when we had (Packers quarterback Jordan) Love held up, and he dug the ball out. He’s leading the defense. I mean, he's a vocal leader out there. It's crazy because the guy is only 22 years old. He’s becoming that football savant in the NFL where he sees things before they happen."

 Thibodeaux is taking his progress in stride by letting his play speak for him. 

"I study ball, and the more you study, the more you start to learn, the faster you start to learn, the faster you start to adjust and understand," Thibodeaux said. "So yeah, things have been moving a little bit faster regarding my processing. So yeah, it’s been pretty good."

 So, too, has been his stamina. Thibodeaux, who learned how to better take care of his body, could often be seen running extra sprints between his practice reps to help build up his wind during training camp.

"I feel like things are paying off in the sense of how I feel health-wise, weight, size, things like that, strength," he said. "At the end of the season, things are feeling pretty good, so yeah, I’m excited to finish this back half."

Thibodeaux scoffed at the idea that this surge in his game had been about trying to prove his critics wrong and posted a motivational type of quote on X, formerly known as Twitter, declaring as much.

"I think when you talk about motivation, most things that people write on social media aren't really motivation. Most of these stories and things like that aren't motivation; they're just stories to create," he said. 

"I'm not playing good ball because people wrote negative things about me. I'm not playing good ball because I'm trying to prove everybody wrong. This is what I do for a living. I'm happy to do it. I'm proud to do it. I think that’s why I'm playing well: I take pride in what I do and put the work in."

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