The New York Giants are making defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence one of the highest-paid players at his position as the two sides agreed 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 entered the final year of his deal after New York picked up Lawrence’s fifth-year option last season for the upcoming 2023 season, but now he’ll be at MetLife Stadium for the foreseeable future.
This renewal 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 players rank above DeForest Buckner, Javon Hargrave and Chris Jones, but look up to Jeffery Simmons and, of course, Aaron Donald, who earns 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 obtained by the team as part of the former Giants’ trade to Odell Beckham Jr. sent to the Cleveland Browns.
Upon arrival, Lawrence has become one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL, especially in 2022 with the arrival of defensive coordinator Wink Martindale. In 16 games played for New York last year, Lawrence set 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 lead the Giants to a playoff berth after a 9-7-1 regular season and a victory over the Minnesota Vikings at Super Wild Card Weekend. In that game, Lawrence totaled six tackles and a team-high four quarterback hits. Over four seasons of his career, Lawrence has 16.5 sacks, 213 tackles and 58 quarterback hits.
With this highly anticipated 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.