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EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - AUGUST 21: Dexter Lawrence #97 of the New York Giants looks on during warmups of a preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals at MetLife Stadium on August 21, 2022 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

The New York Giants face a conundrum regarding one of their best players. Three-time All-Pro DT Dexter Lawrence requested a trade out of New York following growing frustrations with his reported contract demands. Lawrence is expected to command a hefty raise on his next extension, and with the Giants having an all-new coaching staff, the new regime is less tied to him than the old one was.

With the draft next week, the assumption has been that any trade for Lawrence would need to be completed before then, so the Giants could use the picks they’d get in said trade right away. However, that may not ultimately be true, as the Giants may be holding out for the right price.

CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones on the New York Giants’ Timeline and Compensation for a Dexter Lawrence Trade

GettyEAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – SEPTEMBER 28: Dexter Lawrence II #97 of the New York Giants runs after intercepting the ball against the Los Angeles Chargers during the first quarter in the game at MetLife Stadium on September 28, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images)

“Dexter Lawrence’s trade request was not just an attempt for more money from the [Giants],” CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones wrote on Thursday. “Two sources tell me he does indeed want out of New York. But the Giants do not necessarily agree, and they don’t have to make a deal by next week.”

“Here’s what I’ve gathered: The Giants do not seem too keen on paying Lawrence high-market price coming off his worst statistical season of his career, but they aren’t going to give him away. If they can get a great offer for him — something that includes at least a first-round pick — I think they will deal him.”

“The acquiring team will likely have to pay Lawrence a salary in the [high $20 million range] upon trading for him,” Jones continued. “That would be OK for a contending team needing an interior defensive lineman and realizing this is not the year to hope you’ll get one in the draft.”

“[Cowboys DT] Quinnen Williams went for a first and second back at the trade deadline, and that generally seems like a fair price for Lawrence. What will be interesting is if the Giants take a 2026 second rounder and demand a 2027 first. If that’s the case, and if the Giants do deal Lawrence, they wouldn’t have to do the transaction until Friday [of the draft].”

“If we get through [next] Friday night with no deal, I would not expect one any time soon. Both sides can pick up where they left off on talks and try to find a middle ground as the spring continues.”

Who Could the Giants Draft to Replace Dexter Lawrence?

Jones mentioned this isn’t the year to draft an impact interior defensive lineman, and as someone who has been scouting this class since last summer, I tend to agree. Georgia DT Christen Miller is the highest-ranked defensive tackle on my board, followed by Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald.

Both are expected to go in the late first or early second, but the Giants should expect either player — or any of the other top defensive tackles in this class, such as Florida’s Caleb Banks or Clemson’s Peter Woods — to make a Lawrence-level impact as a rookie. The 2027 class is better, and could influence the timeline of this potential trade.