John Harbaugh just ran into some major drama for the first time as head coach of the New York Giants
The New York Giants are hoping to bring back the glory days under new head coach John Harbaugh. That path will get a lot harder if the Giants trade Dexter Lawrence.
New York Giants star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence requested a trade on Monday, creating John Harbaugh’s first official headache as head coach.
Per reports, it’s due to failed contract negotiations. Both sides have tried to work out a deal over the last two offseasons, but nothing has come to fruition. Therefore, Lawrence wants out via trade. He won’t attend the Giants’ offseason program that opens on Tuesday, April 7.
What could the Giants get for Dexter Lawrence in a trade?
Lawrence signed a four-year, $90 million contract back in May 2024. The good news is his 2026 and 2027 salaries are mostly base pay. He’s set to make $18.5 million in base salary and he’s owed $1.5 million in workout bonuses and roster bonuses. He’ll make $19.5 million in cash next year via a $15.5 million base salary, $3.5 million in roster bonuses, and $500k in workout bonuses.
Those constructs allow give the acquiring team plenty of flexibility to modify the contract as they see fit in both the short term and with a potential extension. He also won’t turn 30 until November 2027, so he’s still relatively young.
In other words: The Giants should be able to trade Lawrence if they want to.
That’s where things get a bit tricky for Lawrence and his trade request, though. Giants GM Joe Schoen said back in February he plans for Lawrence to be on the roster this year, but as we all know, plans change when the price is right.
Lawrence’s departure would leave a big void on the Giants defensive line
This would be a big problem for Harbaugh and the Giants defense. Next up on the depth chart is free agent acquisition Sam Roberts, who has 266 career defensive snaps and 1.0 sack over four seasons.
With the upcoming draft, the Giants would be wise to invest at nose tackle, just to be safe. At the same time though, this isn’t a strong draft when it comes to the defensive line, which makes the situation even tricker.
Do the Giants have enough money to pay Lawrence?
That’s the issue, here. A big reason why the Giants are having issues giving Lawrence a raise is because they don’t really have the cap space to do so, right now. Per Over the Cap, the Giants have a little less than $6.5 million to work with.
When factoring in practice squad costs, draft class costs, and in-season operating the money, the Giants are actually in the red. Granted, that’s when accounting for basic costs, but the point stands. New York barely has enough operating room for the season, much less for Lawrence.
We’ll see just how Schoen and Harbaugh handle this. They have leverage due to a non-existent no-trade clause and the simple fact Lawrence is under contract.
If something does happen, it’ll happen before the draft. Otherwise, it won’t make much sense in the long run.
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