The trade sending DT Dexter Lawrence from the Giants to the Bengals in exchange for the No. 10 overall pick on this week’s draft also featured a revised contract. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was first to report that Lawrence has inked a one-year, $28MM extension that can keep him under the Bengals’ control through 2028.
A report that emerged within the immediate aftermath of the trade suggested the Giants did make an effort to retain Lawrence even after the Bengals put the No. 10 pick on the table. Paul Schwartz of the Latest York Post corroborates that report and confirms Big Blue made offers that may have resulted in a large raise for Lawrence, which the 28-year-old obviously declined.
Connor Hughes of SNY.television adds that the Giants’ proposals included a mean annual value “near” $28MM, but in exchange, they desired to add more years to Lawrence’s existing deal (which had two seasons remaining). Per Hughes, Lawrence’s camp didn’t even make a counteroffer, which – combined with the relatively modest terms of his Cincinnati extension – make it plain that the player simply wanted a fresh start elsewhere.
Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk passes along a full breakdown of Lawrence’s Cincinnati deal. He was due $42MM over the ultimate two seasons of his Joe Schoen-constructed contract, and the $28MM add-on makes it a three-year, $70MM agreement. The $23.33MM average annual value places Lawrence tenth amongst defensive tackles, only one spot higher than he was before the trade (though he’ll get some near-term raises; he was previously scheduled to earn $20MM in 2026 and $22MM in 2027, but he’s now due $22MM in ‘26, $25MM in ‘27, and $23MM in ‘28, as Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano summarizes).
Lawrence’s potential impact on a Cincinnati defense that has undermined the club’s possibilities of qualifying for the playoffs in recent seasons, along with a financial commitment that doesn’t shoot their latest acquisition particularly high up the league’s DT hierarchy, help to justify the Bengals’ uncharacteristic aggressiveness here. That said, league sources still consider the Giants did well to land the No. 10 alternative.
Hughes spoke with several coaches who were “stunned” by the return. Those coaches agreed that Lawrence is a superb player but pointed to his age and conditioning as cause for concern, in addition to the undeniable fact that he must be kept on something of a snap count to maximise his production. ESPN’s Jordan Raanan says the Giants themselves were surprised by the strength of the Bengals’ offer, and Raanan’s colleague, Jeremy Fowler, hears nobody was going to top it.
Lawrence is coming off a down yr – albeit one Schoen partially blamed on the elbow injury the three-time Pro Bowler sustained late in 2024 – and despite the fact that their gamble is mitigated to some extent by the character of the extension, the Bengals are clearly banking on a return to elite form. In an announcement issued after the trade became official, director of player personnel Duke Tobin made sure to thank much-maligned owner Mike Brown for greenlighting the transaction and added that he expects Lawrence to raise the players around him (the total statement is offered here, courtesy of SI’s Jay Morrison).
Lawrence is the centerpiece of an offseason defensive overhaul within the Queen City that also includes the additions of Jonathan Allen, Boye Mafe, Bryan Cook, and Kyle Dugger. The Giants, meanwhile, could consider one in every of the highest DT prospects within the draft as a Lawrence alternative, they usually now have two top-10 selections to help of their quest for a return to contention.