The Giants’ pass rush has hit a point where the cheapest guy in the room is carrying the most weight.
With Brian Burns sidelined, New York’s edge group no longer runs through the player tied to the biggest contract. It runs through Abdul Carter, the No. 3 pick in the 2025 draft, who is already becoming the engine of the front while still on a rookie deal.
That’s a sharp turn for a defense built with expensive edge talent. Burns came over from Carolina in 2024 on a five-year, $141 million contract, and that deal made him the Giants’ highest-paid defender.
But his injury takes that investment off the board. Kayvon Thibodeaux, meanwhile, is still on the $14.75 million fifth-year option attached to his 2022 draft status, and his production has come in uneven waves.
He has 23.5 career sacks, including 11.5 in 2023, with 4.0 and 5.5 in the seasons surrounding it.
Carter, by contrast, is giving the Giants real disruption at a bargain price. His four-year, $45.2 million fully guaranteed rookie contract is a fraction of Burns’ cap hit, but the impact is obvious.
As a rookie in 17 games, he finished with 43 tackles, 4.0 sacks, seven tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. At Penn State in 2024, he showed the same burst with 12 sacks, and the Giants have used him all over the front rather than locking him into one spot.
That versatility matters now more than ever. The Giants are paying Burns like a premium edge and Thibodeaux like a starter who should be delivering more consistently, but the most reliable production is coming from the youngest and least expensive piece. It’s a nice outcome on paper and a glaring issue on the field, because no team wants to depend on a rookie-contract player to hold the whole thing together forever.
Still, Carter is doing what the Giants drafted him to do. He’s supposed to be a disruptor, not a placeholder. And with the more expensive names either hurt or searching for consistency, that’s exactly what New York needs from him right now.
So far this season, Carter has been one of the most disruptive pass rushers in the NFL. He has 2.0 sacks, but his 21 pressures rank 16th in the league, per PFF. With Burns out, Carter is the one keeping the Giants’ pass rush alive.
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