Every NFL offseason, a star player requests a trade because they are either unhappy on a losing team or want a new contract that their current team won’t provide. Sometimes, it happens to be both.
New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence requested a trade after failing to make progress with the organization on a new deal. The Giants don’t have to trade Lawrence, who is still under contract for another two years and slated to make $20 million this season.
However, the Giants could solve two problems by trading Lawrence with a specific partner. Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton suggested an idea of the Giants trading the star interior pass rusher to the San Francisco 49ers before the 2026 NFL Draft. The deal would help the 49ers rebuild their league-worst pass rush, while the Giants would receive multiple valuable assets.
More News: Jordyn Tyson ‘Trending in the Wrong Direction’ Ahead of NFL Draft
More News: Giants’ Dexter Lawrence Request Trade as Contract Negotiations Stall
In Moton’s trade proposal, the 49ers would send a second-round pick and a fourth-round pick to New York, along with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. The 49ers are widely expected to release Aiyuk this offseason unless they can get a trade done. The Giants are hoping to add a weapon for Jaxson Dart alongside Malik Nabers, so both teams could be solving each other’s problems here.
“The Giants signed wide receiver Darnell Mooney and pass-catching tight end Isaiah Likely in free agency, but they could help second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart tremendously by bringing in a talented receiver who racked up over 1,300 yards in 2023,” Moton wrote. “If Aiyuk and Malik Nabers are both healthy after suffering serious knee injuries, they could be a premier receiver tandem.”
Lawrence only managed half a sack last season with the Giants, but he is not far removed from a nine-sack season in 2024 and his third Pro Bowl nomination. The 49ers traded for Osa Odighizuwa earlier in the offseason from the Cowboys, and adding Lawrence could rebuild the pass rush in San Francisco very quickly.
Aiyuk didn’t play last season, but he has experience working with another high-usage receiver like Nabers. To help Dart take the next step under new head coach John Harbaugh, this might be the right time for the Giants to pull off a deal and still get enough draft capital to add more depth at other positions.
Read the full article here
