Star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence has requested a trade from the New York Giants, per a report from NFL insider Adam Schefter.
Lawrence, per the report, will not report to the Giants when the team’s offseason program begins on Tuesday.
A three-time Pro Bowler and two-time second-team All-Pro who is among the NFL’s most dominant interior defenders, Lawrence has experienced just one winning season and played in just two playoff games since being selected No. 17 by the Giants in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Lawrence had a down season in 2025, and at times seemed to be resigned to the situation.
Lawrence, 29, signed a four-year, $90 million extension in 2024 that put him among the league’s highest-paid defensive tackles. Two years later, though, Lawrence’s $22.5 million average per year is just 11th among defensive tackles.
The Giants added bonus money to Lawrence’s contract for the 2025 season, with Schefter indicating the contract situation is at the root of the issue. Schefter wrote:
Lawrence and the Giants have been through two off seasons attempting to negotiate a contract reflecting his value to the Giants over the last three years, but there has not been any progress, per sources.
Lawrence has been with the Giants through two general managers (Dave Gettleman and Joe Schoen), and has played for head coaches Pat Shurmur, Joe Judge, Brian Daboll, and Mike Kafka (interim). It appears he doesn’t want to stick around through another regime change.
New head coach John Harbaugh said recently that the Giants need to try to “build the best offensive line and the best defensive line in football.”
On the defensive side, the Giants have already lost veteran tackles Rakeem Nunez-Roches and D.J. Davidson this offseason, while adding only journeyman Sam Roberts.
Harbaugh may now have to try to cobble together a defensive line without one of the league’s best players.
