National Football League

Kayvon Thibodeaux wants to wear No. 5, but it could cost him

Published May. 8, 2022 3:55 p.m. ET

Kayvon Thibodeaux might be No. 1 in the hearts of New York Giants fans, but the first-round draft pick appears to really have his sights set on No. 5.

And that's not just because the defensive end was the No. 5 overall picked in the 2022 NFL Draft. The former Oregon star wore No. 5 for the Ducks, and he'd like to continue with it in the pros.

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But there is a problem: No. 5 is already worn by Giants kicker Graham Gano, and he's apparently not keen on giving it up.

The Giants are set to have a rookie minicamp next weekend, and the team recently assigned numbers to every member of its draft class — except one.

Thibodeaux and Gano are working to negotiate a fair price for the kicker to hand over the number, and the whole thing seems to be amicable.

"Just know, this is real. We're talking real numbers," Thibodeaux said. "When you tell somebody 250, I don’t know what 250 means. You forget all the zeroes behind it. It's a lot different now. He's a great guy. We're obviously going to build a relationship and we're going to talk about it."

The "250" apparently refers to $250,000. If that is indeed Gano's asking price, it's a steep one.

In fact, safety Jabrill Peppers — now with the New England Patriots — attempted to negotiate with Gano for No. 5 last season, without success. Peppers ended up wearing No. 21.

"Yeah, yeah, way too high," Peppers said at the time. "I tried but he’s not budging. You know, I’m thinking about hanging it up. I still probably got a month to try to see what I can do, try to swing him my way. But at the moment, it’s not looking too good."

If Gano can't be convinced to lower his asking price, Thibodeaux might just go with 55.

"It's doesn't sound as good as five but ... the number don't make the player," Thibodeaux said, "the player makes the number."

He could also wait and revisit the whole thing down the line — Gano is under contract through the 2023 season.