Dexter Lawrence’s Bengals Extension Suggests Real Reason He Was Done With Giants

Dexter Lawrence's contract extension from the Bengals suggests he may have preferred a fresh start over a record-breaking payday.

Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The numbers are in for former New York Giants defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence’s contract extension with the Cincinnati Bengals, and it’s fair to say that they are rather underwhelming.

Lawrence, according to the NFL Network, has passed his physical with the Cincinnati Bengals and is getting a one-year extension worth $28 million added onto his existing contract.

It’s unknown at this time if the Bengals reduced Lawrence’s 2026 base salary, which was set at $18 million, to accommodate the extension. It’s also unclear how the $28 million he’s receiving is broken down into any incentives, signing bonuses, etc. But what that does is it boosts Lawrence's APY to $25 million for the remaining three years of his deal, putting him fifth among interior defensive linemen.

That probably isn’t the kind of deal Lawrence, who is now tied to the Bengals for three years, was believed to be seeking. And that raises the belief that Lawrence was just fed up with how the last several years have gone with the Giants.

Lawrence was frustrated in final years with Giants

Among Lawrence’s frustrations are the loss/treatment of key teammates like defensive lineman Leonard Williams, safety Julian Love, and running back Saquon Barkley, all of whom went to other teams and won Super Bowls.

Other teammates, such as cornerback Nick McCloud and receiver Darius Slayton, were approached by the team to take pay cuts. McCloud refused and was cut, while Slayton agreed to a cut to remain with the team, despite having earned performance-based pay the year prior.  

There is also the non-stop losing–since 2023, one season after the Giants went 9-7-1 and made the postseason, New York has won just 13 games, which led to the dismissal of head coach Brian Daboll, which clearly ate away at Lawrence.

And don't forget the run defense’s struggles, the unit not ranking higher than 22nd in the last five years in yards per carry allowed, as another source of unhappiness.

Overall, these factors appear to reinforce reports that he has become disenchanted with how the Giants have been run.

Lawrence, one of the Giants’ 2019 three first-round draft picks, had two seasons remaining on the four-year extension he signed with Big Blue in May 2024, which put him at an average APY of $22.5 million.

He twice led the Giants in sacks over his seven-year career, in 2024 (9.0) and 2022 (7.5), and his 103 quarterback hits are the third-most in franchise history since the statistic was officially recognized in 2006.

Lawrence leaves the Giants after having appeared in 109 regular-season games with 102 starts that have seen him earn three Pro Bowls and two second-team All-Pro nods.

Lawrence’s departure leaves Slayton, who was also drafted in the 2019 class, as the longest tenured Giants player.

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