Photo: Getty Images
New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh addressed reports that former All-Pro nose tackle Dexter Lawrence requested a trade and won't participate in the team's first offseason workouts as they began on Tuesday (April 7).
Harbaugh, who was hired by the Giants in January, said he hasn't spoken to Lawrence lately but claimed the prospects of him returning were "high."
"We’ll find out. I think the prospects are going to be high. Speaking for the Giants, we want Dexter here. And I believe Dexter wants to be here," Harbaugh said when asked about the situation via the Athletic's Charlotte Carroll, adding that "there's business involved."
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday (April 6) that Lawrence, who signed a $90 million extension in 2023, had requested a trade after "attempting to negotiate a new contract reflecting his value to the Giants over the last three years, but there has not been any progress."
"Dexter Lawrence has two years remaining on his deal and is currently scheduled to make $20 million this upcoming season. Initially there had been optimism that with changes in the organization, discussions could move forward. But now that they haven’t, new Giants head coach John Harbaugh will open his team’s off-season program Tuesday without one of his best players," Schefter wrote.
Harbaugh had previously discussed Lawrence's importance to the Giants' success in February.
"How important is he? Really important," Harbaugh said via ESPN. "He's super, super important. He's a cornerstone football player -- not really a cornerstone, more like the middle stone. He's right in the middle. He's a very big stone, and he's a very active, athletic one."
Lawrence was selected by the Giants at No. 17 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. The former Clemson standout is a three-time Pro Bowler and a two-time second-team All-Pro, but is coming off a season in which he recorded career lows for tackles (31), sacks (0.5) and QB hits (8) in 2025.