Dexter Lawrence II Can Take Advantage of the Giants’ New Growing Pains

Without having an office between those of Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach John Harbaugh, I’m not going to pretend—nor should anyone—to know exactly what the very complicated and ever-changing working dynamics of an embattled executive and incoming Super Bowl–winning head coach might be.

We tend to picture Schoen like the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin after the hiring of Robert California, just a person trying to navigate the new and complicated world of bizarre small talk about Sesame Street (or “The Street” as California called it) as a “ghetto of self-absorption” or Darwinism and sexuality (seriously, he is such an underrated character).

But Schoen may just end up being Broncos general manager George Paton. He was a GM who swung a horrible deal—the Russell Wilson trade, which will thankfully (for him) pale in comparison to the Browns’ horrific Deshaun Watson swap—then had to watch Sean Payton walk through the door. In our minds, Paton was marching down the plank. In reality, he’s an important part of building what looks like a perennial AFC contender and managed to navigate the awkwardness quite well.

The particulars, though, matter for the sake of this argument, which is that Dexter Lawrence II’s trade request and refusal to show up to voluntary team activities Tuesday is absolutely a brilliant and strategic bit of work on behalf of Lawrence’s agents, simply to take advantage of this perceived uncertainty. He’s going to get what he wants because, right now, it’s uncertain the Giants know exactly what they want.

In case you missed it, Lawrence requested a trade, which is often the precursor to a contract adjustment. Lawrence is entering his age-29 season and, before last year’s disappointing campaign, was arguably the most disruptive interior player in the NFL since Aaron Donald. Lawrence has reached that nebulous place in an NFL contract where the guaranteed money has almost dried up and the cap number rises to the point where he can easily become a casualty. Before Lawrence hovers any closer to 30, he wants the security of a long-term contract. This is becoming a rite of passage for nearly every Pro Bowler nearing the threshold of decline.

Enter Harbaugh, who said in his most recent comments about Lawrence that he was,
“Really important. 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.”

On Tuesday, Harbaugh added that the prospects of Lawrence being a Giant are “high,” because “we want Dexter here.”

By seizing on this moment, Lawrence’s agents are able to jar loose one of two distinct possibilities:

Scenario 1:

The Schoen-Harbaugh relationship really is in its trial stage, and Harbaugh is eyeing the way Schoen handles a complex situation. Harbaugh comes from an institution in Baltimore in which Ozzie Newsome was followed by Eric DeCosta, creating one of the more stable runways of management in the NFL over the past quarter century. The Ravens had arguably the biggest powder keg contractual situation in recent NFL history with Lamar Jackson self-negotiating a new deal and seeking a fully guaranteed contract on the heels of the Watson deal, and they came to a solution before the situation went nuclear. Schoen is now feeling the heat of stage lights, having had his negotiating abilities and internal dialogue painfully captured in an endless stream of Hard Knocks and Hard Knocks–adjacent content that hasn’t always painted him in the best light. That means a swift resolution that circumnavigates Schoen, who has a series of upcoming public appearances in front of the New York media, having to answer endless questions about Lawrence’s contract.

The other piece to this scenario to keep in mind: Schoen, fairly or unfairly, is the general manager of record who let Saquon Barkley (an eventual Super Bowl champion) walk, traded Leonard Williams (an eventual Super Bowl champion), let Julian Love (an eventual Super Bowl champion) hit free agency and let Xavier McKinney (who made first-team All-Pro in his first year after leaving the Giants) walk. While no general manager should be bound by these optics, Schoen cannot be ignorant of what has happened previously. Lawrence’s agents know this.

Scenario 2:

Schoen and Harbaugh want to present a unified front, or actually are a unified front. In this case, Lawrence will also get a speedy resolution because, if the Giants are in concert as they suggest, making the decision to rework Lawrence’s contract or trade him in the days preceding the draft should be simple. While the latter option again goes back to Schoen being on stage (in a trade scenario, he has to maximize value, which would likely be a late-first-round pick and change, which is not impossible given how light the defensive tackle class in this year’s draft appears—though Lawrence’s need for a new deal approaching 30 coming off his worst season makes his market a little cloudier), it’s not hard to see a world where Lawrence gets what he wants.

Ultimately, Harbaugh didn’t take a job immediately after getting let go by the Ravens to idle in mediocrity. He didn’t call Lawrece a cornerstone by accident and he isn’t naive to the fact that, given his stature in the organization right now, if he decided to change the team’s colors to burnt sienna and chartreuse, there would at least have to be a serious conversation had about the entire thing.

Any person with a beating heart has to feel for Schoen, who has had to legitimize his standing in the organization ever since the Giants fell head over heels for their salve in Harbaugh, and Harbaugh started making major organizational changes. But, that is specifically the scab Lawrence and his agents are poking at.

It’s business. Good business.

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