Let me paint you a picture.
You’re driving down the highway and you see a giant orange sign that says “ROAD CLOSED AHEAD.” Then another sign. Then a flare. Then a guy in a neon vest waving his arms like he’s trying to land a 747. And you just… keep driving. Right into the barrier.
That’s the New York Giants and Dexter Lawrence.
This trade request did not come out of nowhere. Jordan Raanan and other beat reporters have said many times that Dec has not been happy in a while. And of course he isn’t! Why would he? All he’s done is watch some of his best friends leave The Giants to make more money, have great individual performances and win Super Bowls. All while he is wildly under paid on a team that has won more than 4 games twice in his 7 years.
They’ve had two straight offseasons of failed contract talks. TWO. Back to back. Like they kept scheduling the same bad date and wondering why she wasn’t calling them back.
Here’s what makes it even more beautiful in a “I want to throw my TV out the window” kind of way: this didn’t have to happen.
The market moved on Lawrence’s contract. It always moves — that’s how contracts work. Instead of getting ahead of it, the Giants gave him a $3 million raise last year as a little pat on the head. For an All-Pro defensive tackle. That’s the front office equivalent of leaving a 12% tip.
Now he wants $30-35 million a year and the Giants are clutching their pearls like this is somehow unreasonable. Who’s replacing him if he leaves? A strongly worded letter? Good vibes? They’ve done such a bang up job getting other defensive tackles around him that without him the run defense has not only been historically bad, but the worst ever BY FAR. And so far this year .. STILL NO ADDITIONS!!
Now he has 0 guaranteed dollars on his contract and we are still trying to play hard ball with him. At some point you just need to pay the best players on your team.
Look. I don’t even think they’ll actually trade him. My guess is this gets resolved, Dexter signs an extension, and we move on.
But the Giants had every opportunity to handle this quietly and proactively. They had the signs. They had a player who was visibly checked out all of last season. And they did what the Giants always do .. waited, hoped it sorted itself out, and now it’s a circus before the first draft of the John Harbaugh era.
The New York Giants: Turning Preventable Problems Into Unnecessary Crises Since Forever.
A Fan With A Mic 