The New York Giants are making defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence one of the highest-paid players at his position as the two sides have agreed on a massive four-year extension, CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones has confirmed. The deal is worth $90 million with $60 million guaranteed. The 25-year-old was entering the final year of his deal after New York picked up Lawrence's fifth-year option last offseason for the upcoming 2023 campaign, but now he'll be around MetLife Stadium for the foreseeable future.
This extension ties Lawrence with Commanders star Daron Payne as the third-highest-paid defensive tackle in the NFL with an average annual salary of $22.5 million. Both of those players stand above the likes of DeForest Buckner, Javon Hargrave and Chris Jones, but look up to Jeffery Simmons and, of course, Aaron Donald, who makes an earth-shattering $31.6 million annually.
Lawrence was selected by the Giants with the No. 17 overall pick in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, a pick that was acquired by the team as part of the trade that sent former Giants wideout Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns.
Upon arrival, Lawrence has blossomed into one of the top defensive tackles in the NFL, particularly in 2022 with the arrival of defensive coordinator Wink Martindale. In 16 games played last year for New York, Lawrence notched career-highs across the board with 7.5 sacks, 68 tackles, 28 quarterback hits, and three pass breakups. That production helped him earn second-team All-Pro honors and he was also named to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career.
More importantly, Lawrence helped the Giants to a playoff berth after a 9-7-1 regular season and a win over the Minnesota Vikings during Super Wild Card Weekend. In that game, Lawrence totaled six tackles and a team-high four quarterback hits. Through four seasons of his career, Lawrence has 16.5 sacks, 213 tackles, and 58 quarterback hits.
With this long-looming extension with Lawrence now complete, the next item on the agenda for GM Joe Schoen could be to address the contract status of Saquon Barkley, who the team placed the franchise tag on earlier this offseason.
