The Saints made a move for a new pass rusher, but not before checking in with the Giants about their star defensive end.
New Orleans acquired former first-round pick Tyree Wilson and a seventh-round pick from the Raiders in exchange for the 150th pick, which they used on Arizona safety Dalton Johnson.
Wilson, 25, was the seventh overall pick out of Texas Tech by Las Vegas in the 2023 draft, but has struggled to catch on in the NFL.
In three seasons, Wilson has started just seven games, registering 12 career sacks.
Last year, Wilson had four sacks and two forced fumbles in 17 games.
The Saints had reportedly looked at trading for an even bigger fish before the Wilson acquisition.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the team “spoke with the Giants on a potential trade for Kayvon Thibodeaux over the last few weeks,” but passed on a deal when Big Blue “held firm on compensation.”
Earlier this week, chatter exploded on social media about Thibodeaux’s name being in trade rumors, which Giants general manager Joe Schoen shut down Friday night.
“No, nothing’s changed,’’ Schoen said. “I wish I could just put everything in the Twittersphere.
“There’s no truth to that. We have not had any conversations today about Kayvon, that’s not true.’’
New head coach John Harbaugh echoed the same sentiment.
“No, no, we keep all the good players as much as we can,’’ Harbaugh said when asked about the Thibodeaux rumors. “Right? We love Kayvon.’’
The rumors ratcheted up after the Giants took linebacker Arvell Reese with the No. 5 overall pick, adding to an embarrassment of riches on their defensive front that includes Thibodeaux, Brian Burns, Abdul Carter and free agent addition Tremaine Edmunds.
