ESPN: Giants to Trade DT Dexter Lawrence to Bengals for No. 10 Draft Pick

ESPN reported Saturday, citing sources, that the New York Giants are trading defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals in a deal that includes the No. 10 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

If the trade is completed as ESPN described it, the Giants would enter next week’s draft with two top-10 selections: their own pick at No. 5 and Cincinnati’s pick at No. 10. That would give New York unusual flexibility just days before the first round begins April 23.

ESPN reported the move comes after an impasse in negotiations on a new contract extension for Lawrence. The report followed earlier ESPN reporting that Lawrence had requested a trade and was skipping the Giants’ voluntary offseason workouts on April 6.

At the time of the report, the move had not been formally announced by either club. A check of the Giants’ and Bengals’ official team news and transactions pages shortly after ESPN’s report showed no press release confirming the trade, so the deal remained a reported agreement rather than an official team announcement.

Lawrence, 28, has been one of the Giants’ top defensive players since the club drafted him No. 17 overall out of Clemson in 2019. He is a three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle and has been a centerpiece of New York’s defensive front. Contract data site OverTheCap lists Lawrence as playing on a four-year extension worth $90 million in new money, a relevant backdrop to the reported breakdown in extension talks.

The timing is significant for both teams. For the Giants, the reported deal would add a second top-10 pick less than a week before Round 1. For the Bengals, it would mean acquiring an established interior defensive lineman instead of waiting to use the 10th selection on a rookie. The NFL’s official draft order released March 13 showed Cincinnati originally owned the No. 10 pick referenced in ESPN’s report.

The trade report also arrived less than two weeks after Lawrence’s trade request became public. On April 7, Giants coach John Harbaugh told NFL.com, “I think the prospects are gonna be high because the Giants, speaking for the Giants, we want Dexter here. I believe Dexter wants to be here, you know, that’s a good formula, but there’s business involved.” ESPN reported Saturday that the business side ultimately led to a deal that would send Lawrence to Cincinnati, pending formal confirmation.