When New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan sacked Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre in the final game of the 2001 NFL regular season, he set the new NFL single-season sack record with 22.5.
The record has remained at 22.5 ever since, but Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end T.J. Watt tied the mark in 2021, the same year the NFL expanded to a 17-game season.
Things didn’t go very well for the 2024 Giants, who finished the season 6-11 and in third place in the NFC East, but linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux was one of the team’s bright spots.
Thibodeaux, the fifth-overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, finished his second season with a team-high 11.5 sacks.
Going forward, though, Thibodeaux has his sights set on Strahan’s record. “Every year I’m here, I’m going for Michael Strahan’s record,” the former Oregon Duck said Wednesday in a post shared by the NFL on X.
.@kayvont has his eyes on greatness 👀 pic.twitter.com/Op5EU3yvt8
— NFL (@NFL) May 29, 2024
Hours later, Strahan responded to the young star, saying “I love the confidence and hope you get it. It’s a lot harder than you think,” on his X account.
I love the confidence and hope you get it @kayvont👍🏾
It’s a lot harder than you think💪🏾😉 https://t.co/9Qzz93rBpz
— Michael Strahan (@michaelstrahan) May 29, 2024
It’s nice to see Strahan, who spent his entire 15-year career with the Giants, still supporting the next generation of players.
While Thibodeaux’s goal is lofty, Watt proved that it can be at least tied in a 17-game season. It remains to be seen if the record can be broken, though.
