NY Giants trade Dexter Lawrence to Bengals in blockbuster deal

Dexter Lawrence got what he wanted. Ultimately, so did the New York Giants.

In a blockbuster deal, the Giants are trading their three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman to the Cincinnati Bengals for the 10th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, a source told NorthJersey.com and The Record.

Lawrence, 28, requested a trade from the Giants on April 6, and while the Giants did not initially want to part with one of the best players at his position when healthy, the relationship became untenable over the past two weeks despite efforts from team brass to work out the new contract Lawrence desired.

Now the Giants have a pair of Top 10 picks in the first draft for John Harbaugh as head coach.

The Giants and Bengals have agreed to the trade, and the expectation is that it will become official Sunday when Lawrence travels to Cincinnati and passes his physical. The Bengals will also presumably give Lawrence a new contract extension.

As for Lawrence, he no longer wanted to be a Giant. And as Harbaugh has been saying since he joined the franchise as head coach, he wants players here who want to be here.

What NY Giants are getting in Dexter Lawrence trade

This much is true: the Giants are not as good of a football team without Lawrence. But getting the No. 10 overall pick in return gives the Giants a chance to add a premier talent to the roster, and the salary cap space gained in Lawrence's departure will allow team brass to replenish the position, albeit with a collective and not solely one player as talented as their 2019 first-round pick.

The Giants are set to embrace the opportunity to strengthen the roster and the team without the financial constraints of a veteran player who is in position to prove he can still be dominant and disruptive coming off a season to forget.

Inside Dexter Lawrence's trade request from NY Giants

Lawrence requested a trade from the team for which he has reached elite status as one of the top interior forces in the NFL, an individual with knowledge of the situation told NorthJersey.com and The Record on Monday, April 6.

That news came the day before the Giants reported for the first voluntary offseason program of the John Harbaugh era with the franchise.

Lawrence is certainly not the first player to demand a trade over a contract, and the Giants have had their share from decorated franchise stars such as Hall of Famer Harry Carson, Phil Simms and most recently Osi Umenyiora.

Teams had inquired about the availability of the 6-foot-4, 345-pound Lawrence last season around the trade deadline, a source said. But the Giants kept one of their best players on the roster, even in the midst of a disappointing 2025 campaign during which Lawrence did not perform to the standard he set previously.

The Giants were forced to decide if Lawrence's performance last season was an anomaly and not a sign that his play is trending downward. The defensive line lacked depth to begin with, and that was with Lawrence at the top of the depth chart.

Dexter Lawrence contract details

Lawrence has two years remaining from the four-year, $90 million extension he signed in 2023. He is scheduled to make $20 million this upcoming season, so it's not like the Giants are not committed to Lawrence financially, but there is no guaranteed money left on the deal.

When Lawrence signed his current deal in 2023, his $22.5 million average per year and his $90 million total value was third-highest in each category at the position behind Aaron Donald and Jeffery Simmons.

If Lawrence can prove last season's 0.5-sack campaign was a blip on an otherwise dominant resume, he's dramatically underpaid for the caliber of performance he has delivered.

"It's business, you know, so the business is to be the best football team that we can be," Harbaugh said during a video call on April 7. "And the business for him, I'm sure, is to be the best player he can be ... we'll see what happens."

Lawrence had nine sacks two years ago and he was widely considered a unicorn at the position, but his 2024 season was cut short due to a dislocated elbow. The 28-year-old was eased into action because of the injury last summer and his conditioning early in the season appeared to be affected.

There was also speculation that Lawrence was unhappy with his contract and the losing situation that again forced changes upon the Giants with the firings of Brian Daboll - his third head coach - and defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, whose unit struggled mightily for most of a four-win campaign.

Lawrence also had to watch two close friends and former Giants teammates Leonard Williams and Julian Love win the Super Bowl as members of the Seattle Seahawks - Williams was traded there and Love signed there as a free agent - one year after Saquon Barkley won the Super Bowl with the Eagles.

One of the benefits of signing his current deal early was that Lawrence was able to cash in; but as time progresses, the parameters quickly provided the Giants with a boost, having one of the top players in the league at a cost-effective price because general manager Joe Schoen paid him when he did.

The defensive tackle market in the NFL has continued to expand financially, which has pushed Lawrence's contract further down in the greater landscape. His contract now ranks 12th in average annual value at the position, trailing such recent deals signed by the Eagles' Jordan Davis (three years, $78 million) and the Patriots' Milton Williams, who inked a four-year, $104 million deal after the Eagles' Super Bowl win two seasons ago.

NY Giants' next moves after trading Dexter Lawrence

The Giants have some work to do on the defensive line and they'll continue to weigh their options. Veterans Shelby Harris, D.J. Reader and Austin Johnson have talked to the Giants - including visits for Harris and Reader - and any combination of the three players could be inked as potential signings after the draft.

In terms of pre-draft evaluation, the Giants have had defensive lineman Christen Miller of Georgia and Lee Hunter of Texas Tech among others in for "30" visits. Both are viewed as second-round picks that may sneak into the back end of the first round. This is not a deep DL draft, however.

More to come on this developing story.