New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen said the team continues to have “productive” talks with Dexter Lawrence amid reports on Tuesday that discussions over a contract extension have reached an impasse.
Lawrence, 28, is set to earn a base salary of $18.5 million in 2026 and is under contract through 2027. However, he did not report to the Giants’ offseason program last week after requesting a trade.
“We’ve had good conversations with his representatives throughout the last five or six days,” Schoen said to lead off his pre-draft press conference on Tuesday. “At some point we’ll come to a resolution here, whatever that may be. We’ll see. But conversations have been really good. They’ve been productive.”
Giants coach John Harbaugh said last week that he believes “prospects are going to be high” that Lawrence will stay with the team. However, NFL Network reported Tuesday night that discussions over a contract extension reached an impasse and that the Giants have engaged with other teams about the potential of including Lawrence in a trade.
Schoen was asked if the first round of the draft on April 23 is an unofficial deadline to get a potential trade so the team would know what it is receiving in return.
“We’re not going to put any deadlines on things. Right now, productive conversations, and we’ll see where it goes,” Schoen said. “I’m always going to pick up the phone. … That is my job as the general manager, if teams call, you take into account.
“It’s a case-by-case basis and what the compensation may be. 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.”
A 2019 first-round pick, Lawrence has recorded 341 tackles, 30.5 sacks and 103 quarterback hits in 109 games (102 starts). His current contract does not have any remaining guaranteed money.
The Giants would be hard-pressed to fill the void should they decided to trade Lawrence.
Kayvon Thibodeaux, 25, has 23.5 sacks in 53 games since the Giants drafted him with the No. 5 overall pick in 2022. He recorded a career-low 2.5 sacks and was limited to 10 games in 2025 before going down with a season-ending shoulder injury.
Thibodeaux is scheduled to earn $14.75 million in 2026, playing on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, and has also been the subject of potential trade rumors.
His best season came in 2023 when he recorded 11.5 sacks, 50 tackles and three forced fumbles in 17 starts.
“We’re going to continue to go through our process,” Schoen said when asked how Lawrence’s trade request impacts the team’s draft preparations. “The scouts left yesterday, so they’ve been here for roughly 14 days, so now we’re putting the final touches on the board. But it really hasn’t affected how we’re approaching the draft.”
–Field Level Media
