Matt Johnson
New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence sparked NFL trade rumors on Monday when the three-time Pro Bowl selection requested to be moved by the team. As he and the Giants try to resolve their differences, NFL teams around the league are gauging what a deal for the All-Pro defensive lineman might look like.
Giants’ reporter Jordan Raanan of ESPN reported on Tuesday that the consensus he got from sources around the league was that the likely return for New York in a Lawrence trade would be a late first-round pick or an early second round selection.
Related: Best Dexter Lawrence Trade Landing Spots
“He’s super, super important. He’s a cornerstone football player — not really a cornerstone, more like the middle stone. He’s right in the middle. He’s a very big stone, and he’s a very active, athletic one.”
New York Giants HC John Harbaugh in March on Dexter Lawrence (H/T ESPN)
While New York is one of the deepest teams in the NFL at edge rusher, it’s a very different story on the interior. If Lawrence were traded, the team would be relying on the likes of Darius Alexander and Roy Robertson-Harris to play a significant percentage of the snaps. It would be a massive blow defensively.
That’s not even to mention the fact that it would create a new need that has to be addressed in the 2026 NFL Draft. New York doesn’t have a ton of draft capital to begin with, holding just two top-100 picks with four in the first 150 selections. With the club already having to address linebacker, wide receiver, cornerback, and the offensive line, trading Lawrence would mean a void is created somewhere that can’t be adequately filled.
To make matters worse, the 2026 NFL Draft class isn’t particularly strong. A late first-round pick this year might have been a Day 2 pick last year, and the talent pool in the 25–45 range is fairly similar. Purely based on the return, New York would almost certainly not be able to come close to matching Lawrence’s impact.
The best option for the Giants is to resolve this contract dispute with Lawrence, finding terms that will work for him on a long-term deal. Given the team has a starting quarterback, wide receiver, and two edge rushers still playing on rookie-scale contracts, they also have the financial flexibility to afford giving Lawrence both a raise and more guaranteed money.
