Kayvon Thibodeaux, the New York Giants’ premier edge rusher, has excessive reward for his teammate, Bobby Okereke.
The Giants signed Okereke from the Indianapolis Colts to a four-year, $40 million deal within the 2023 offseason. This was their splash signing of the yr and it paid off in dividends as Okereke was a pressure to be reckoned with.
The center linebacker completed the season with 149 tackles (his third straight season posting over 130). He additionally completed with career-highs in sacks (2.5), tackles for loss (11), and compelled fumbles (4). His protection within the cross recreation was additionally elite as he posted a career-high 10 passes defensed and tied his career-high in interceptions with two.
Okereke’s presence might be felt alone by how a lot he stuffed the stat sheet however his management and drive make him that rather more impactful.
“We simply signed a man, Bobby Okereke. He’s our center linebacker. And I actually sat and I thanked God that they introduced him on the staff,” Thibodeaux mentioned on the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast. “His ambition — he’s on 12 months (6) now, I’m on 12 months 3. If you discuss who he’s at this second and who I’m at this second, we’re not the identical participant. He embodies who I need to be.”
Okereke is a superb particular person for Thibodeaux to look as much as and doubtless helped him already this previous season.
The sophomore edge rusher noticed his stats enhance from 4.0 to 11.5 sacks and 6 to 12 tackles for loss as he had a real breakout season. Thibodeaux’s offseason work positively paid off and he actually confirmed why the Giants picked him fifth total.
However, the inspiring phrases of Okereke within the locker room certainly helped.
“He actually instructed me, ‘Bro, each day you come right here you gotta discover motivation.’ (Someday) he will get within the chilly tub, proper, (and) he put his neck all the best way down as much as right here. Chilly tub, me? I’m going to the hips. He’s like, ‘Rattling, KT, you ain’t gonna give your shoulders no love?’ I’m like, ‘Man, my shoulders don’t want no love.’ He mentioned, ‘Man, what, your shoulders ain’t value $100 million?’ He mentioned, ‘Oh, your shoulders ain’t value greatness?’ And I’m like, ‘alright you bought me tousled.’”
Okereke nonetheless has three years left on his contract and with a fifth-year choice on Thibodeaux’s contract, it appears to be like just like the linebacker/edge-rusher duo can be wreaking havoc for a number of extra years.
The Giants have discovered two foundational constructing blocks for his or her protection for years to return.
