Thirteen days ago, Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence asked for a trade. He has now gotten one.
He also has gotten a raise, with a one-year, $28 million extension. Given the new-money analysis that agents and teams apply to the vast majority of contracts, Lawrence’s new-money average moves to $28 million.
Are there guarantees beyond the $10 million roster bonus he’ll receive right away? No. Will the Bengals cut Lawrence before his $11 million base salary for 2026 becomes guaranteed as a practical matter at the start of the regular season? Why would they? They gave up the 10th pick in the draft to get him.
Given the investment, it’s unlikely he’ll be cut before 2027, either. Yes, it could happen. If it does, the Bengals would be admitting that they gave up a top-ten pick for very limited return.
If they cut Lawrence after two years, he still will have made more money over the next two seasons than the Giants would have been paying him. Under the prior deal, he would have gotten $39.5 million. Under the new deal, Lawrence is in line to make $47 million.
Here’s the real question. Would the Giants have given Lawrence the same deal he’s getting from the Bengals? No one knows the answer, because details regarding the negotiations haven’t been leaked.
At this point, it doesn’t matter. The Giants swapped the ability to keep Lawrence for the 10th pick in the draft. The Bengals have given up pick No. 10 for a three-year deal with Lawrence. Where it goes from here depends on how Lawrence performs — and what the Giants do with Cincinnati’s 2026 first-round pick.
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