Dexter Lawrence's Reaction to Bengals-Giants Trade Revealed in NFL Rumors and Latest on New Contract

Dexter Lawrence reportedly is happy about his trade from the New York Giants to the Cincinnati Bengals.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Sunday on SportsCenter he "talked to a source who said Dexter Lawrence is 'jacked' about this trade."

"He gets to go play with Joe Burrow, chase a championship. They're in their window right now," Fowler said. "So, he likes the change of scenery. Very happy about it."

The Bengals traded the No. 10 pick of the 2026 draft to the Giants in order to acquire Lawrence, who had reportedly requested a trade after stalled extension negotiations with his former team.

Win Sports Group told ESPN's Adam Schefter Sunday that Lawrence has since signed a one-year, $28 million extension with the Bengals.

"The people I've talked to believe that the Bengals were in no man's land with that No. 10 overall pick," Fowler reported Sunday. "A lot of the premier defensive players that they could've targeted were probably going to go ahead of them at No. 10. So, if they weren't guaranteed to get a guy they wanted, why not just take the guess work out of it and get a star premier 28-year-old defensive tackle with pass-rush ability who takes up double teams?

"Defensive tackles age well; they can play well into their 30s. I was told that was part of the thinking for Cincinnati. And he's got somewhat of a reasonable contract, two years and $40 million left."

Fowler also reported that the Bengals were expected to work out an extension with Lawrence.

"A lot of people around the league were wondering when Cincinnati made the trade, they had their problems with Trey Hendrickson, Tee Higgins, other contracts. Can they get this done? But talking to people around the league, I suspect that they will try to work out a deal here," Fowler reported.

Lawrence was set to play next season on a $18.5 million base salary but with no guarantees outside of $3.25 million in case of injury, per Spotrac.

Prior to the trade, The New York Post's Paul Schwartz reported that Lawrence was looking for "much more" than the $36.5 million base salary currently remaining on his deal.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported after Lawrence was dealt by the Giants the Bengals were expected to "hammer out a significant long-term deal" with Lawrence after he passed his physical.

When Lawrence signed his last four-year deal with the Giants in 2023, he ranked as one of the four highest-paid interior defensive linemen in the NFL.

His $28 million salary will now rank him second in terms of annual average salary heading into 2026, per Over the Cap.

Lawrence, 28, earned three Pro Bowl nods over his first seven NFL seasons. He's looking for a bounce-back campaign after recording a career-low 0.5 sacks in 17 games last season.

He still remained an impactful defender by drawing double teams, recording 34 pressures and ranked top-20 among defensive tackles in ESPN's pass rush win rate.

No Bengals defender recorded more than 5.5 sacks last season. If Lawrence is able to reach the level of his previous Pro Bowl caliber play, he could help the Bengals field a more effective pass rush heading into the next few seasons.