According to Adam Schefter, the Bengals and new DT Dexter Lawrence have agreed to a one-year, $28 million extension.
Lawrence gets the raise back to the top of the market he was seeking and which helped spark his exit from New York, while the Bengals managed to avoid a huge multi-year guaranteed commitment, at least on the surface.
Cincinnati agreed to trade the No. 10 overall pick to the Giants for Lawrence last night, and that deal is now official with Lawrence passing his physical and agreeing to the new contract.
Lawrence, 28, was drafted No. 17 overall by the Giants in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Clemson. He finished out his four-year, $13,248,048 rookie contract that included a $7,654,954 signing bonus. New York picked up his fifth-year option worth $10.753 million, fully guaranteed for the 2023 season.
Lawrence was set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2024 when he signed a four-year, $90 million extension. He’s set to earn a base salary of $18.5 million in 2026.
In 2025, Lawrence appeared in all 17 games for the Giants and recorded 31 tackles, four tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, four pass defenses, and one interception.
We’ll have more on the Lawrence trade as the news is available.
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Imagine if Lawrence was a FA. I wonder if he’d get paid more than 3/70m. Market would probably start at 3/90 and go up from there. Bengals got excellent value on this contract and gave up a a premium pick in a crap class, so probably costs them a wasted top ten pick on a tackle that plays guard or a reach for a safety or overated CB. Downs, Styles, Bailey, Bain, Reese will all be gone by the time that #10 comes around. Those that actually follow the Bengals know how excellent the move is