The Detroit Lions are entering an important stretch of the offseason as they prepare for next week’s NFL Draft. But with a championship window creating a sense of urgency, some may feel like Dexter Lawrence could be the big splash the Lions have been missing.
Lawrence’s name has been floated out in trade rumors since he did not report to a voluntary workout for the New York Giants earlier this month. The trade winds also got a lift on Thursday morning when CBS Sports Jonathan Jones added that “Lawrence’s trade request was not just an attempt to get more money from the team” and that two sources told him “he does indeed want out of New York.”
But Jones also added an important caveat that could not only make Lawrence expensive to acquire but too rich for Detroit’s blood as it gets ready for the draft.
“The Giants do not seem too keen on paying Lawrence high-market price coming off his worst statistical season of his career, but they aren’t going to give him away,” Jones wrote. “If they can get a great offer for him – something that includes at least a first-round pick – I think they will deal him.
“The acquiring team will likely have to pay Lawrence a salary in the high-20s [million range] upon trading for him. That would be OK for a contending team needing an interior defensive lineman and realizing this is not the year to hope you’ll get one in the draft.”
Lions’ Dream Move for Dexter Lawrency May Not Add Up
Piecing everything from Jones’s report, you could see where Lawrence could be a surprising “all-in” move for the Lions. The Lions have their starting duo figured out between Alim McNeill and 2025 first-round pick Tyleik WIlliams. But McNeill didn’t look the same when he returned from a torn ACL last October and Williams is a work in progress that’s expected to take a big leap entering his second season.
Adding Lawrence to this group could at least help Williams work on his weaknesses entering Year 2 and it would give the Lions another pass rush presence on the interior. The 28-year-old’s resume is certainly worthy of getting paid as he’s a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time Second Team All-Pro selection. But while he has 30.5 career sacks and is two-years removed from a nine-sack campaign in 2024, that campaign ended due to a dislocated elbow that he aggravated during the 2025 season.
This doesn’t sound like a player the Lions should go in on. But then there’s the team situation. If Lawrence wasn't something in the high $20 million range that Jones suggests, it’s likely that contract will come somewhere between the $26 million per season Jordan Davis of the Philadelphia Eagles and Milton Williams of the New England Patriots are making and below the $31.75 million per season Chris Jones is making as the highest-paid defensive tackle in the NFL according to Over The Cap.
The Lions also have $23.6 million in overall cap space per Over The Cap but that money may already be earmarked for extensions. While most of the money is likely to be given out in future years, the Lions still need to reach agreements with Jahmyr Gibbs, Jack Campbell and Sam LaPorta while also potentially working out a deal with Brian Branch, who is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon.
Lawrence would be a nice pipe dream for Lions fans who want the big swing, but it not only goes against Brad Holmes’s ethos to build from within. It also may not be financially feasible as Detroit looks to supplement its weaknesses in the upcoming draft.
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