One of the New York Giants’ two major off-season holdouts is finally over after the team agreed to a new deal with defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence.
On Thursday, the Giants and Lawrence agreed to a four-year, $90 million extension, which included $60 million guaranteed, according to multiple reports. The deal makes Lawrence the third highest-paid DT in the league.
At the start of the off-season Giants general manager Joe Schoen made it clear that re-signing current Giants was the priority. He has made good on that, bringing back Daniel Jones, Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins, and, potentially, Saquon Barkley, who has currently not signed his franchise tender.
Lawrence was a leader for the Giants last season in defensive coordinator Wink Martindale’s system. He started all 16 games, registering a career-high 7.5 sacks, seven tackles for a loss, and 28 quarterback hits. He also reached career highs with 68 total tackles, three passes defended, and two forced fumbles.
Coming off of that career season, it was crucial for the G-Men to lock him in long-term next to fellow defensive tackle Leonard Williams, giving New York one of the more imposing interior duos in the league.
While there may still be additional free-agent signings in the coming days, this was a major item crossed off of Joe Schoen’s checklist.
With rookie minicamp starting tomorrow, New York can focus fully on their newest members before turning their attention back to getting their star running back Saquon Barkley, back into the building.
This is a developing story and will be edited with updates and quotes.
