Could the Bills Pull Off a Blockbuster Dexter Lawrence Trade?

New York Giants DT Dexter Lawrence has requested a trade and the Buffalo Bills could be an interesting landing spot.

New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

On Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Dexter Lawrence requested a trade from the New York Giants due to dissatisfaction with his contract. Several teams should be interested in the former All-Pro, including the Buffalo Bills.

Buffalo struggled mightily against the run this past season, and they haven’t re-signed defensive tackle DaQuan Jones. They do have second-year player Deone Walker and Ed Oliver, but Lawrence would bring a different element to the defensive line.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 340 pounds, Lawrence has stood out as one of the best interior defenders in the game. He had his best season in 2024, recording 44 tackles and nine sacks in 12 games. He saw his season come to an early end, however, when he suffered a dislocated elbow during the Thanksgiving Day game against the Dallas Cowboys.

He played all 17 games in 2025, but had just a half-sack and posted a run defense grade of 57.0, per PFF. While his performance was concerning, Lawrence could return to form now that he’s a year removed from surgery. Playing for a contender wouldn’t hurt his motivation either.

Can the Buffalo Bills afford Dexter Lawrence?

Dexter Lawrence II runs out of the tunnel prior to the start of the game between the New York Giants and the Commanders. | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Buffalo isn’t exactly flush with cap space, but that doesn’t mean they can’t afford Lawrence. Right now, he’s playing on a deal with two years remaining and is due $20 million this season.

According to Greg Tompsett of Cover 1, the Bills need $6 million in space to afford Lawrence. They could get that by restructuring Dion Dawkins contract, although that would leave them without much room left over.

Buffalo would need to create roughly $6M more cap space to acquire Dexter Lawrence’s 2026 salary of $18.5M before restructuring (and likely agreeing to the extension NYG won’t give him)

Not easy, but doable (Dion Dawkins restructure is $11.3M alone) https://t.co/lEKkyYx0xD

— Greg Cover 1 🏈 (@GregTompsett) April 6, 2026

Buffalo might still need to dip into the free agency market, especially if they don’t land a linebacker in the upcoming draft. That said, Lawrence is eyeing a new deal, so the Bills might be able to create room by signing Lawrence to an extension and spreading the cap hit out.

The real concern, however, is the asking price. New York is rebuilding under new head coach John Harbaugh, and they have no intention of trading away a valuable player for nothing.

The Giants could be looking for a deal similar to the one the New York Jets landed for Quinnen Williams, which was a first and second-round pick. That might be a little too rich for a team that already traded their second-round pick and might have to dip into their 2027 class to make a deal happen.

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