Why does Cowboys owner and G.M. Jerry Jones prefer to bypass agents and negotiate directly with players? Because it works.
For that reason, the agents representing former Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence successfully prevented new coach John Harbaugh from speaking directly to Lawrence after Lawrence requested a trade.
Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reports that agent Joel Segal prevented Harbaugh from speaking directly to Lawrence. It’s smart; Harbaugh and his who’s-got-it-better-than-us? personality could have weakened Lawrence’s will.
Schwartz also reports that Segal didn’t want to deal with G.M. Joe Schoen. Instead, Segal reportedly negotiated with senior V.P. of football administration and strategy Dawn Aponte and senior player personnel director Chris Mara, with Schoen still involved in the situation.
The good news for Schoen is that it’s harder to blame him for the outcome. The bad news for Schoen is that, with Harbaugh taking control of the team (Aponte, for example, reports to Harbaugh), there will be a perception that Schoen has become further isolated.
The handwriting has seemingly been on the wall since Harbaugh was hired. He secured a direct line of reporting to ownership, turning decades of internal protocol on its head. The fact that Aponte, who has front-office duties, reports to Harbaugh and not Schoen has bolstered the perception that Schoen’s influence is diminishing.
Some will wonder whether this means a G.M. change is coming. While teams often change General Managers after the season, the more natural timeline for a front-office overhaul comes after the draft, when the reset button is essentially pressed on a year’s worth of scouting to come.
However it plays out, body language experts will have a field day with the coming images from the team’s draft room on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
The Bengals traded the 10th overall pick to the Giants for Dexter Lawrence and then signed the defensive tackle to a one-year, $28 million extension.
The Bengals are happy, and Lawrence is happy.
“I know they gave up a lot for me, and I appreciate that. I don’t take that for granted. I have a fire in me,” Lawrence, who is under contract through 2028, told Geoff Hobson of the team website. “I picked up a little turf on the field. I got chills when I went out there. I just see myself helping this team be where it’s supposed to be. . . . I enjoy pressure. I enjoy being under that type of light. I write down notes, and my notes are, ‘Let my light shine all the time.’ And keep joy. Don’t let anything steal your joy.”
There is joy in Cincinnati, too.
Coach Zac Taylor said he has received calls and texts from players — including Orlando Brown Jr. and Ted Karras — since news of the trade broke Saturday night.
“Which is a sign there’s a lot of excitement,” Taylor told the team website. “I fielded a lot of calls from our offensive linemen. They’re happy they don’t have to face him in a real game again. Training camp should be fun.”
The deal is done. And the Bengals are happy about it.
Cincinnati has announced the trade that brings defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence from the Giants, in exchange for the tenth overall pick in the 2026 draft.
“The opportunity to add a player of Dexter’s ability was too good to pass up thanks to the commitment by Mr. Brown, Katie Blackburn, Troy Blackburn, Paul Brown, and our player personnel staff,” Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said in a team-issued release. “Dexter fits the vision we have on our defense and will also elevate others around him. We are confident in Dexter and can’t wait to see the positive effects he and the other players we have acquired this offseason have on our football team. We are excited to turn to the draft and our remaining picks to further enhance our team.”
Coach Zac Taylor echoed Tobin’s enthusiasm.
“We are excited to add Dexter to our team,” Taylor said. “He has been a dominant player in the league since he was drafted, and he will be a tremendous presence on the field and in our locker room.”
The Bengals also announced that Lawrence has been signed to a one-year extension, which puts him under contract through 2028.
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.
Dexter Lawrence is headed to Cincinnati with a new deal.
The Bengals announced they’ve acquired Lawrence for the No. 10 overall pick on Sunday, meaning the trade is official.
PFT has confirmed Lawrence has agreed to a one-year contract extension, receiving $28 million in new money on the deal. He is now under contract through the 2028 season.
Here is the full breakdown of the contract, according to a source with knowledge of the terms:
1. Lawrence receives a $10 million roster bonus on the day of execution of the deal.
2. 2026 base salary: $11 million.
3. 2026 per game active roster bonuses: $1 million total.
4. 2027 option bonus: $8.25 million, to be exercised between the first and tenth day of the 2027 league year.
5. 2027 base salary: $15.5 million.
6. 2027 per-game active roster bonuses: $1 million total.
7. 2027 workout bonus: $250,000.
8. 2028 base salary: $21.75 million.
9. 2028 per-gamer active roster bonuses: $1 million total.
10. 2028 workout bonus: $250,000.
In all, it’s a three-year, $70 million deal with $42 million leftover and $28 million in new money.
