John Harbaugh, New York Giants
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Head coach John Harbaugh of the New York Giants speaks to the media during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The New York Giants began their offseason workout program on Tuesday afternoon, having the special privilege of starting earlier than most teams thanks to the hiring of new head coach John Harbaugh.
There were only three absentees, per SNY’s Connor Hughes – cornerback Paulson Adebo, recently signed defensive tackle Sam Roberts, and, of course, defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence.
New York knew Lawrence wasn’t going to be there. He requested a trade on Monday, making it clear he expects a new contract from the organization that drafted him.
Harbaugh addressed the media after practice, and of course, the hot-button topic is Lawrence’s ongoing contract situation.
It’s the first major controversy of Harbaugh’s Giants tenure, and it will be interesting to watch how he addresses it throughout the offseason.
John Harbaugh Makes Clear Giants Want to Keep Dexter Lawrence
Harbaugh made it clear and obvious that the New York Giants want to keep their Pro Bowl defensive tackle in the fold, and may have implied that the trade request is simply a negotiating tactic.
Connor Hughes
#Giants HC John Harbaugh on the latest with Dexter Lawrence: “We want (Dexter Lawrence) here”
Said he’s “not surprised” because he saw this coming a few weeks ago.
Adds there is a business side to this.
“We’ll find out. I think the prospects are going to be high,” Harbaugh told reporters.
“Speaking for the Giants, we want Dexter here. And I believe Dexter wants to be here.”
Part of the reason Harbaugh took the Giants job was the perceived notion of the talent that was already in-house, giving him an easier path to win now. Lawrence is one of those talents.
New defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson was reportedly vocal about wanting to keep Lawrence and is excited about the prospect of having a weapon of his caliber on the defensive line.
But in order to get him to come back around to the team, there’s going to need to be a new contract in place.
Harbaugh noted that while he won’t be directly involved in negotiations with Lawrence, he will “throw his two cents in,” and allow senior vice president of football operations Dawn Aponte and general manager Joe Schoen to handle the bulk of the contract talks.
If it were up to the head coach, he’d likely want this whole ordeal wrapped up as quickly and cleanly as possible.
Dexter Lawrence’s Potential New Contract
The New York Giants inked Lawrence to a four-year, $87.5 million contract during the summer of 2023, but the defensive tackle market has since exploded.
Lawrence’s contract pays him an annual average salary of $22.5 million, which at the time was top of the market. Just three years later, the former first-round pick has fallen to the 12th-highest-paid interior defensive linemen in the league.
The Giants gave Lawrence an incentive-filled band-aid last summer to placate him for at least a season, but now is the time to pay up.
Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post expects Lawrence’s next contract to be in the range of four years and $110 million, paying him $27 million per year.
It would make him the second-highest paid interior defensive lineman in the league, just one spot behind Kansas City Chiefs star Chris Jones.
Despite coming off a down year, Lawrence’s gravity is integral to the Giants’ successful pass rush, clearing the way for players like Brian Burns and Abdul Carter to get after the quarterback.
We’ll see if the Giants can make right with one of their best players and bring him back to the team with a new contract.