Beat: Lawrence having big impact with Bengals

Lawrence, dealt to the Bengals last night, officially passed his physical and signed the contract extension. It’s unclear exactly how much money this adds to his guaranteed tally — that’s probably the real question on how good of a deal it is — but the extension is a bit lower than his reported $30 million per season ask. Lawrence is now under contract for the next three seasons with the Bengals.

Earlier reports indicated the Giants were “asking for a lot” in exchange for the standout pass rusher, something that now seems to bear weight after the team landed the No. 10 overall pick in the coming draft. The Giants now hold the No. 5 and No. 10 overall picks when festivities kick off in less than a week. The Bengals land their replacement for Trey Hendrickson after watching as he departed for Baltimore when the Maxx Crosby trade fell apart. It’s a weird replacement on paper as Lawrence wasn’t a premium pass-rusher last year, but it should shore up a weak run defense.

Raanan adds that the feeling around the league is that Lawrence is “underpaid” on his current deal. He averages $22.5 million per year, tying for 11th at the position and is reportedly asking for more than $30 million per year. Chiefs DT Chris Jones tops the market at $31.75 million. Lawrence, 28, logged zero sacks last year, but in 2024, he tied for fourth at the position with 10. Per Raanan, the Giants do not want to give Lawrence a new deal following a down year, so Lawrence wants to be traded. The Giants are unlikely to be better off without him, but perhaps they can acquire a decent haul in return, allowing them to quickly retool the defensive line in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Lawrence has been looking for a contract extension this offseason, but he and the Giants have been unable to reach an agreement and the 28-year-old requested a trade. Giants general manager Joe Schoen addressed Lawrence’s trade request, saying he would like to keep the star defensive tackle. However, Rapoport reports contract talks “have reached an impasse” and that “the Giants have engaged with teams on a potential trade.” The NFL Draft at the end of April will be a key deadline for Schoen to explore trades for Lawrence.

Schoen said he wants Lawrence to be a Giant but won’t put a deadline on a resolution. There’s still been little reporting that actually expects Lawrence to be traded despite the request. The star defensive tackle is reportedly asking for $30 million a season annually on a new contract.

Lawrence actually already has a $26.9 million cap hit, but the AAV of the deal he signed in 2023 is only $20 million a season. He could also simply be seeking more guaranteed money. Hughes notes that Lawrence could command a first-round pick in a trade if one happens, but defaults to believing the Giants will extend him.

He added that “the prospects are high” on a Lawrence return to the Giants, before noting “I don’t know if granting the request is really the right way to say it, because it doesn’t really work that way. It’s not like a Christmas gift. It’s business. The business is to be the best football team we can be.” It sounds like the Giants have no interest in moving on from Lawrence. The New Jersey Star-Ledger’s Art Stapleton reported earlier today that he expects Lawrence to get a new contract. That’s certainly the easiest way this could end, though it might be a pretty rich contract for a defensive tackle entering his age-29 season. It wouldn’t be surprising if Lawrence and the team did not see eye-to-eye on his current value given how long this has been drawn out over the last two offseasons.

Lawrence on Monday requested a trade and will reportedly sit out the Giants’ offseason workout program after spending most of the past two years trying to work out a new deal with the team. Stapleton said a new contract for the standout defensive tackle could come before the NFL Draft. Lawrence is under contract with New York for the next two seasons. Lawrence is coming off a subpar 2025 campaign in which he had career lows in tackles (31) and sacks (0.5), while making only four tackles in the backfield. Look for multiple teams to express interest in Lawrence if the Giants indicate they are open to trading him away this spring or summer.

Lawrence and the Giants have spent the last two offseasons trying to hammer out a deal, but according to Schefter, “there has not been any progress” thus far. Lawrence is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time Second-team All-Pro who has spent his entire seven-year career with the Giants. Despite playing in all 17 games last season and playing the third-most defensive snaps in his career, he finished with a down year on paper, posting career lows in tackles (31) and sacks (0.5), while making only four tackles in the backfield. Lawrence is under contract for two more seasons, but has no guaranteed money remaining on his deal over that span.

Carter returned to practice on Friday, logging a limited session. Giants DL Dexter Lawrence (illness) was also removed from the injury report, though he did not resume practicing. We tentatively expect both players to be on the field for Week 18, but projecting their snap counts is tough. The Giants and Cowboys have both been eliminated from playoff contention.