Apparently, a trade for New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence would look a lot more like the 2023 Leonard Williams trade than the 2025 Quinnen Williams trade, if we’re talking about trade assets. Lawrence, arguably the best well-rounded nose tackle in the league, is reportedly in a contract dispute with the Giants, despite his being under contract for the next two seasons. As it stands right now, Lawrence will make $20 million in 2026 and $19.5 million in 2027, but he’s looking for a new
deal.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter, talking with ESPN Milwaukee on Wednesday, stated that he could see the Green Bay Packers, who have a hole at the nose tackle position right now, being in the Lawrence trade market. When asked about what the price for Lawrence in a trade could be, Schefter said, “My guess is a two and a five.” He later added, “I don’t know that anyone is trading a first-round pick for a 28-year-old defensive tackle who wants more money.”
This is interesting, because Leonard Williams, who just won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks, was traded for a second- and fifth-round pick back in 2023, but Quinnen Williams was sent to the Dallas Cowboys for a first-round pick, second-round pick and former first-round defensive tackle Mazi Smith in November.
At least in Schefter’s mind, a trade for Lawrence could be closer to the ballpark of the Leonard Williams trade than the Quinnen Williams trade, which for the Packers is a huge deal, since Green Bay doesn’t own a first-round pick in the next two drafts. Notably, Green Bay just added an extra fifth-round pick to its 2026 draft class with the trade of receiver Dontayvion Wicks to the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this month.
If the cost is an immediate second- and fifth-round pick, the Packers could still have picks in the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh (two picks) rounds in the upcoming draft. At the moment, Green Bay has $20.1 million in effective cap space, which ranks in the top half of the league. More cap space will free up, too, post-June 1, when some of the Nate Hobbs money comes off their 2026 books.
The highest-paid nose tackle in the league right now is Philadelphia’s Jordan Davis, who just received a $26 million per year number. Lawrence is likely looking for an extension in that ballpark, now that a new high has been set.
The Packers are clearly poking around at defensive tackles with their second-round pick, as they’ve brought in both Christen Miller (consensus board rank of #47) and Lee Hunter (#49) in on pre-draft visits.
