Dexter Lawrence put himself in this mess, and the New York Giants do not have to bail him out of it.
Dexter Lawrence is apparently fed up with the New York Giants and wants to be traded, even though there are two years left on his contract.
A report surfaced on Thursday that this wasn't just about the money for Lawrence; he simply wants out. But I don't buy that for a second.
Yes, Lawrence may want to play elsewhere, and he may have had it up to here with the Giants, but the root cause is the money.
Lawrence does not have any guaranteed dollars coming to him over the final two years of his deal ... an extension he agreed to in May 2023.
It was a four-year, $90 million pact that compensated Lawrence very well at the time. In fact, he carried a $24 million cap hit this past season ... only to finish with 31 tackles, a half of a sack and eight quarterback hits.
Lawrence was very unproductive in 2025, and it's also important to remember that he suffered an elbow injury the year prior that kept him out the final five games of 2024 and could have been the reason for him falling off a cliff this past season.
New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. Credit: Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.So why should New York oblige him with a ton of money right now?
I get the idea of Lawrence wanting security. If he suffers a severe injury, the Giants can just cut him loose without owing him anything. It's not a comfortable situation for the three-time Pro Bowler.
But he also agreed to that contract when he signed it.
Lawrence has been petitioning for a new deal since last offseason, right after his contract extension kicked in. Clearly, Lawrence was having some remorse over inking the deal, but he put pen to paper. It was done.
If New York isn't going to trade him, I do think it should work on a new contract for him just to keep the peace and to ensure that he isn't causing any problems in the locker room, but it doesn't have to.
The Giants don't have to do anything.
Whether Lawrence likes it or not, he is under contract through 2027. He can demand trades all he wants, but Big Blue doesn't have to budge.
People seem to think that Lawrence — and players in general — have more leverage than they actually do when it comes to contracts. Especially deals that still have multiple years remaining on them.
If Lawrence were slated to be a free agent after 2026, things would be slightly different. He still couldn't really risk sitting out next season. Not after the year he just had, and not given the frightening history of what typically happens to players when they sit out. Haason Reddick sat out less than half a year, and it ruined his career.
New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images.Is Lawrence actually going to sideline himself for two whole seasons? It would be silly, and he knows it.
This really seems like it's more about Lawrence being regretful over signing the contract three years ago and now flailing trying to repair his mistake.
It's understandable. He wants to ensure he is getting paid ... especially on a team that has made the playoffs just once since he arrived in 2019.
But Lawrence has no one but himself to blame for the position in which he now finds himself.
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