Giants, Dexter Lawrence II Agree on New 4-Year, $90 Million Contract

 Lawrence was originally drafted 17th overall in 2019 with a pick the Giants acquired from the Cleveland Browns in the Odell Beckham Jr trade. Last year, he had a monster breakout season in which he set new career highs in sacks with 7.5 and quarterback hits (28), both of which led the Giants defense.

The durable Lawrence--the only game he's missed in his four-year NFL career was the 2022 regular-season finale in which the Giants' starters were all given rests in that game ahead of their first playoff berth since 2016--also set a new career high in total tackles with 68

Lawrence, who would have earned $12.407 million on the option year of his rookie contract, will now average $22.5 million per year on his new deal, which is the same APY Washington interior defender Daron Payne is scheduled to earn on the new deal he signed earlier this off-season. 

Lawrence's APY also puts him just below Tennessee's Jeffrey Simmons ($23.5 million), who is in second place behind Aaron Donald of the Rams($31.66 million) in APY earnings.

However, Lawrence's reported guaranteed money, $60 million, puts him in second place among interior defensive linemen, just behind Donald's $65 million.

Lawrence has skipped the start of the team's off-season program while his representatives and the Giants have been working out the details of his new deal. His 2023 cap number of $12.407 million should drop by at least 50 percent, if not more, giving the cap-strapped Giants some much-needed breathing room to continue adding to their roster in the coming weeks and months.