Dexter Lawrence II demands trade from Giants

Disheartening news coming out of Giants camp this morning as it was reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter that star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II has demanded a trade and will not be participating in any offseason workouts with the team, which are scheduled to begin Tuesday. According to reports, Lawrence and the Giants front office have been in talks over the past two offseasons about a new contract that exemplifies his role and value to the team but little to no progress has been made during these talks. Lawrence still has two years left on his current contract, where he is slated to make $20 million even after a down season in 2025. Lawrence only had 0.5 sacks with eight quarterback hits last season.

Since being drafted 17th overall by the Giants in 2019, Lawrence has had three Pro Bowl selections as well as being a second-team All-Pro twice. Lawrence really showed his dominance on the defensive line during the 2024 regular season when he led all defensive tackles with 9 sacks. The Giants seemed to be focused on their long term ability to be able to sign multiple pieces, which seems to be the catalyst behind not getting a new deal done with Lawrence.

New Giants head coach John Harbaugh was asked about the situation after learning that his best defensive player would not be present at workouts stating, “He’s super, super important. He’s a cornerstone player… not really a cornerstone, more like a middle stone. He’s right in the middle. He’s a very big stone, and he’s a very active, athletic one.” I’m sure John Harbaugh will be hounding his new front office about getting some sort of deal done, or alleviating the pressure that has mounted surrounding his star defensive lineman, but for now he can only wait to see what a long summer will bring for a Giants team that finished the 2025 season at 4-13.