Cross another key task off the New York Giants’ offseason checklist. Obviously, it all started at the top with retaining franchise QB Daniel Jones. We also saw the Giants slap the franchise tag on Pro Bowl running back Saquon Barkley, and while a long-term agreement is still in the works, the Giants have at least secured another big part of their organization.
In fact, Dexter Lawrence IS one of the biggest players on the Giants’ roster, at 6-foot-4, 342 pounds. But after having a breakout season, reaching the Pro Bowl while earning second-team All-Pro honors, Lawrence was set to head into a contract year in New York, where he’d be set for unrestricted free agency in 2024.
Not anymore.
General manager Joe Schoen and Lawrence agreed to a four-year, $90 million extension that makes him the third-highest-paid defensive tackle in the NFL. The deal includes a whopping $60 million in guarantees.
- Dexter Lawrence stats last season: 68 tackles (7 TFL), 7.5 sacks, 2 FF, 3 PD
Yet, Lawrence, who is still just 25, has a bright future ahead as one of the best DTs in football. Notably, he was the 17th overall pick in 2019, which some might remember as the key draft pick the G-Men received from the Cleveland Browns for trading Odell Beckham Jr. In other words, while losing OBJ was tough to cope with, landing a franchise cornerstone in Lawrence makes it all worthwhile.
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