Heartbreak: New York Giants greatest player of all time has terminated his contract to sign new contract.
For Dexter Lawrence, a huge 25-year-old defensive tackle coming off of a great season, it was a question of when rather than if.
As a team captain, Lawrence wanted to stay, but the Giants wanted him to stay for a long time.
Both parties were aware that the only way to make this work was to give Lawrence one of the highest salaries of any player in the league for his position.
According to a source, Lawrence agreed on Thursday to a four-year contract extension worth $90 million, with $60 million guaranteed.
With an average salary of $22.5 million annually, Lawrence is now the third-highest paid defensive tackle in the NFL, behind only Aaron Donald ($31.6 million) and Jeffery Simmons ($23.5 million). This puts him in line with Daron Payne of the Commanders, who signed a nearly identical $90, four-year contract extension earlier this offseason.
General manager Joe Schoen chose to exercise Lawrence’s $12.4 million fifth-year option for the 2023 campaign shortly after he was hired.
When asked if Lawrence had done enough to merit a new contract following this past season, Schoen grinned and did not feel the need to play coy.
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With a choked laugh, Schoen answered, “Yeah, I would say Dexter has done enough.” “Dexter had a great performance. Fantastic guy, fantastic team player, and grateful to be here.
With the No. 17 overall pick in the 2019 draft, the Giants chose Lawrence. They obtained this pick from the Browns in the transaction that sent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to Cleveland.
