Edge rusher Brian Burns was traded to the Giants in 2024 after failing to come to agreement with the Panthers on a long-term contract, so he’s familiar with the position that Dexter Lawrence finds himself in right now.
Lawrence requested a trade last week amid talks with the Giants about a new deal. General Manager Joe Schoen said at a press conference on Tuesday that those talks with the defensive tackle were progressing well, but that claim was followed by multiple reports that the conversations have hit an impasse and broken off.
Burns would like to see things pick back up because he has no interest in taking the field without Lawrence joining him on the Giants defense.
“Speaking for me, the Giants ain’t the Giants without No. 97 in the middle,” Burns said, via Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. “So we are going to figure that out to keep him here regardless, I hope. That’s my boy. And I don’t want to play this season or any other season without him.”
Lawrence’s ability on the field is one part of the puzzle and Burns noted that he’s also “a huge locker-room presence” that the team has been missing in the first couple of weeks of their offseason work. Few would argue with Burns about Lawrence’s importance to the Giants, but it remains to be seen if the team’s agreement is strong enough to boost his contract with two years left on their current agreement.
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