Giants final five games huge for Kayvon Thibodeauxs future

The next five “meaningless” games actually could shape a lot of evaluations on Kayvon Thibodeaux and his future.A season that began with Thibodeaux eyeing Michael Strahan’s NFL single-season sack record will end with Thibodeaux trying to catch somebody named Michael Hoecht (a Rams defensive tackle with three sacks) far down on the leaderboard.Like pretty much everything else with the 2024 Giants, Thibodeaux’s season hasn’t gone as expected — from a quiet two-game start to suffering a broken scaphoid bone that required wrist surgery and caused him to miss five games just as he appeared to be heating up.Thibodeaux registered at least a half-sack in three straight games before he was sidelined.He has zero sacks in the two games since he returned, leaving his season total at two.“Super important to finish strong,” Thibodeaux said.

“Definitely hungry.There’s still more work out there, focused on trying to finish strong and keep having an impact.”Thibodeaux will be eligible for a contract extension for the first time in his career after the season ends.

The timing is not as good for him as it would have been coming off of last season when the Pro Bowl snub had the leverage of 11.5 sacks — the most by a Giant since 2014.General manager Joe Schoen — who extended left tackle Andrew Thomas after three seasons — might be eager to double down on Thibodeaux as his signature draft pick.Offensive tackle Evan Neal (No.

7 in 2022) still looks like a bust, 2023 first-round cornerback Deonte Banks regressed in his second season and none of Schoen’s 2022 or 2023 second- and third-rounders are meeting expectations.“The Giants should try to offer him early, but it will be a nearly impossible deal to do,” CBS Sports contract analyst and former NFL agent Joel Corry told The Post.“If I’m him, I’m going to wait because there are going to be some changes [inflating] the pass-rush market.

Thibodeaux has no incentive to do a deal because the Giants wo...