New York Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux is 'going for' Michael Strahan's single-season sack leader record – and, the 2001 Defensive Player of the Year has wished him well.
Thibodeaux is entering his third year in the league, and after coming off of a 50-tackle, 11.5-sack season, confidently revealed this week he is gunning for Strahan's record of 22.5 sacks – set in 2001.
The 23-year-old recently started a press conference by declaring, "I'm going for the record – so don't ask."
"Every year I'm here, I'm going for Michael Strahan's record," he added.
On Wednesday, Strahan responded to Thibodeaux's declaration on X.com by sending the young defensive player an encouraging message, along with a bit of a warning.
"I love the confidence and hope you get it," the Giants' legend captioned his post. Followed by, "It's a lot harder than you think."
While Thibodeaux is coming off of a successful second season with the Giants, the former No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 draft understands he has work to do to get to the coveted 22.5 sack mark.
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt is currently the only player to have reached Strahan's record – tying it in 2021 – the same year he earned Defensive Player of the Year.
Watts is also the only player to have led the league in sacks in three seasons (2020, 2021, and 2023), and has a total of 96.5 in his NFL career (2017-present).
After two seasons, Thibodeaux has a total of 15.5 total sacks – four during his rookie campaign, and an impressive leap to 11.5 this past year.
However, with the support of Strahan and Thibodeaux's confidence, there's no telling what the 6-foot-5, 258-pound edge rusher will do in season three.
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