Could Dexter Lawrence II be on the move? As the Giants get set to embark on a new era under coach John Harbaugh, it's looking like a possibility.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Lawrence has requested a trade out of New York and will not be attending the team's voluntary workouts. The Giants are set to begin their offseason program on Tuesday alongside eight other clubs that will debut a new head coach in 2026.
ESPN sources: Giants All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence has requested a trade and he will not be participating in the team’s off-season workout program that opens Tuesday.
Lawrence and the Giants have been through two off seasons attempting to negotiate a contract… pic.twitter.com/WUSTNxmeGh
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 6, 2026
Lawrence’s trade request out of New York comes as the two sides have failed to reach an agreement on a long-term contract extension over the past two offseasons. The 28-year-old—selected by the Giants with the No. 17 pick in the 2019 NFL draft—has spent his entire career with the club while tallying 341 total tackles, five forced fumbles, and 30.5 sacks on his way to two second-team All-Pro nods. Despite this, he's the NFL's 13th highest-paid interior defensive lineman, with an APY of $21.9 million.
While it’s certainly not in New York’s best interest to let a talent like Lawrence go, there’s a chance they acquiesce to his request as they look to rebuild and return to the postseason for the first time since 2022. Should this be the case, here are three trade destinations that could make sense for the defensive tackle.
Los Angeles Chargers
Chargers defense
The Chargers have the third-most cap space in the NFL. | David Butler II-Imagn Images
The Chargers enter the mid-point of the 2026 offseason with both $48.7 million in salary cap space— the third-most in the NFL behind only the Titans and Commanders—and a need on the interior of their defensive line.
MORE:Salary Cap Check: Where All 32 NFL Teams Stand Pre-Draft, Post-Free Agency
Bolstered with the likes of Teair Tart, Tuli Tuipulotu, and Khalil Mack off the edge, Los Angeles’s front seven could still use some beef down the middle. Following the departure of coordinator Jesse Minter to Baltimore, the Chargers will turn to Chris O'Leary to call their defense in 2026—and while they did sign NT Dalvin Tomlinson to a modest one-year, $6.2 million deal last month, Lawrence would bring a true, game-changing presence to the spine of their defensive line.
Tennessee Titans
Brian Daboll
Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll coached Dexter Lawrence with the Giants. | Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Speaking of the Titans, not only do they have the money (and draft capital) to afford Lawrence in a trade, but they also have a coaching connection that would reunite him with his former leader.
Tennessee hired former Giants coach Brian Daboll as their offensive coordinator this past January, giving them an experienced NFL play-caller to help guide the career of quarterback Cam Ward. For the sake of this discussion, it also gives them a link to Lawrence as he looks to get out of New York.
Daboll and Lawrence spent three-and-a-half seasons together in New York—two of which saw Lawrence named a second-team All-Pro—and upon his firing, the defensive tackle showed love for his former head coach, calling him “his guy,” while admitting that he felt they could have done more to prevent it.
There's clearly a relationship there, and after trading T’Vondre Sweat to the Jets earlier this offseason, Tennessee has an open spot along the defensive line next to star Jeffery Simmons. Perhaps Daboll has already put in a good word on Lawrence with the higher-ups.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Patrick Graham
Patrick Graham was hired as the Steelers's defensive coordinator this offseason. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Continuing on the coaching connections route here, the Steelers brought in Patrick Graham to lead their defense this past January after replacing head coach Mike Tomlin with Mike McCarthy. Graham, 47, served as the Giants’s defensive coordinator and assistant head coach under Joe Judge from 2020 to ‘21—working closely with, you guessed it, Lawrence.
Pittsburgh currently sits in the top half of the league in terms of salary cap space with just over $27 million heading into the NFL draft. They’ve already re-signed defensive end Cameron Hayward for a 16th season, so why not continue building one of the league’s best units by bringing in Lawrence alongside T.J. Watt, Derrick Harmon, Alex Highsmith and the rest of the bunch?
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