The gambit isn’t working. When word leaked that contract negotiations between Dexter Lawrence and the New York Giants had reached “an impasse,” the expectation — at least from Lawrence’s camp — was that rival GMs would flood Joe Schoen’s phone with offers. So far, the silence has been deafening.
“There’s been very little interest in Dexter Lawrence as far as I’ve been told,” Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reported on Wednesday. Not exactly the bidding war Lawrence’s representatives envisioned.
The Giants have drawn a firm line. Schoen said Tuesday that Lawrence is “under contract for two more years,” and the franchise reportedly demands a first-round pick plus additional assets to even consider moving their nose tackle. Teams, apparently, aren’t willing to pay that price.
And the numbers explain why. Lawrence’s 2024 campaign was spectacular — nine sacks across just 12 games, a jaw-dropping total for a player at his position. From 2022 through 2024, he earned three consecutive Pro Bowl selections, landed on the All-Pro second team twice, and racked up 21 sacks in 38 games. Some called him the best defensive tackle in the sport. Then came 2025. Half a sack. Seventeen games. Zero postseason honors. The dropoff was steep enough to make any prospective buyer hesitate. Find out who the Saints 2026 Draft Prospect Visits are targeting.
A former NFL executive shared a telling perspective: if he were running the Giants, he’d make Lawrence prove throughout 2026 that last season was a blip rather than the beginning of a decline — especially with a new coaching staff now in place under John Harbaugh. Play well, and an extension gets revisited next offseason. Neither Schoen nor Harbaugh has publicly articulated that position, but the logic tracks with how New York has handled the situation.
There’s recent precedent for compromise, too. A year ago, Schoen eased tensions by adding performance incentives to Lawrence’s deal heading into 2025. Whether some similar short-term adjustment materializes this time — or whether Lawrence ultimately secures the full extension he’s pushing for — remains an open question. For now, though, the trade market offers him no escape route, and the Giants hold the contractual high ground. Visit nfl-prop-bets for expert NFL prop betting guides, strategy and picks.
Expertly verified: Liam Carter