Giants having productive talks with Dexter Lawrence since his trade request, GM Joe Schoen says
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — General manager Joe Schoen said Tuesday the New York Giants have had productive talks with Dexter Lawrence’s camp since the veteran defensive tackle’s request for a trade came to light last week.
At his pre-draft news conference, Schoen said he, coach John Harbaugh and senior VP of football operations and strategy Dawn Aponte have been in communication about the situation. Harbaugh at the start of offseason workouts called the prospects high of Lawrence remaining with the team.
“We’d like for Dexter to be here, and at some point we’ll come to a resolution here, whatever that may be,” Schoen said. “We’ll see. But conversations have been really good, they’ve been productive and we’ll see what happens here down the road.”
Schoen would not say whether the first round on April 23 represented a deadline because of the chance to recoup a pick to receive immediate help if Lawrence gets traded.
“He’s under contract for two more years,” Schoen said. “We’re not going to put any deadlines on anything.”
Citing sources, NFL Network several hours later reported the sides “reached an impasse,” with the draft being an inflection point.
Lawrence, 28, is coming off a season in which he had a career-low 31 tackles and a half-sack for a defense that ranked 30th out of 32 teams in the NFL. He’s currently set to make $19.5 million this year and $20 million in 2027.
As for whether New York is entertaining offers for Lawrence, Schoen said he’s “always going to pick up the phone.”
“If teams call, you take into account it’s a case-by-case basis and what the compensation may be,” Schoen said. “That’s my job to take into consideration what that looks like, what the compensation looks like, who the player is, how that affects the roster and then try to make the best decision off of that.”
Schoen said Lawrence’s trade request has not affected preparations for the draft. The Giants have the fifth pick and a bevvy of options on what to do with it, potentially including Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles and Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs.
The uncertainty surrounding Lawrence may have an impact on free agency. The team hosted experienced defensive lineman D.J. Reader, who started all 17 games for Detroit last season on a visit Monday.
“There’s still players that are on the street that were free agents this year that are available,” Schoen said, adding guard is also a position that could still be addressed.
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