Dexter Lawrence got his wish.

After weeks of speculation and trade requests, the Giants traded their star defensive tackle to the Cincinnati Bengals for the 10th overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.

The Giants now have the No. 5 and No. 10 picks in the draft.

Lawrence was looking for a new contract, but when both sides could not agree on a new deal, the Pro Bowl DT requested a trade in early April.

In the days following the trade request, Giants brass publicly said they wanted to keep Lawrence on the team. SNY's Connor Hughes reported the Giants wanted to make a deal that works for both sides and keep Lawrence with Big Blue. But it was not meant to be, and one of the best DTs in recent Giants history will move on.

Sources told Hughes that the Bengals approached the Giants roughly two weeks ago and offered the No. 10 pick. However, the Giants still wanted to try and figure out a way to keep Lawrence, but once it became clear it wasn't possible, Big Blue accepted the deal. And while the team valued Lawrence, they realized that the DT is going to be 29 and coming off the worst season of his career.

Now with Cincinnati, Lawrence will reportedly get the deal he was looking for.

Big Blue selected Lawrence as the 17th pick in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Clemson and became one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL. He was named second Team All-Pro twice and made three straight Pro Bowl appearances from 2022-24. He racked up 21.0 sacks, 22 tackles for loss, 65 QB hits, and 165 tackles.

This past season, Lawrence's production dropped off and he finished with career lows in sacks (0.5), QB hits (eight), and tackles (31).

The 2026 NFL Draft will begin Thursday, April 23.

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