When the news broke that Dexter Lawrence had requested a trade, it didn't take long to see the Jacksonville Jaguars emerge as a potential landing spot for the three-time Pro Bowl nod, and understandably so. They have a need at defensive tackle, and he would immediately address it.
Jordan Raanan of ESPN believes that all it could take to acquire Lawrence is a first-round pick or a second. The Jaguars don't have a first in 2026 after trading up for Travis Hunter last year, but they still has its second and three selections in Round 3. Simply put, Jacksonville has the ammo to get a deal done.
And based on Raanan's reported asking price for Lawrence, here's a trade proposal.
The Jaguars trade 2 draft picks to the NY Giants in return for Dexter Lawrence
The Jaguars have 11 draft picks but may not end up using all of them. Some of them may allow them to trade for proven players to address the larger scale roster. Dexter Lawrence fits the bill, as he would immediately bolster the interior defensive front, arguably their biggest roster void.
So what would it take to land Lawrence? Raanan says that a second, but Jacksonville could sweeten the deal with a fourth. They have the 124th overall. But even if they gave up those two selections, they would still have nine left. So here's how this hypothetical trade would look.
By now, you may be wondering why Lawrence may not fetch two first and second-round picks like fellow defensive tackle Quinnen Williams did last year. The answer is simple: He's coming off an underwhelming season but wants to get a new deal.
The former Clemson Tiger is slated to make $20 million in 2026 but is looking for more than $25 million. Perhaps his request to get traded will prompt the Giants to give him an extension, but precisely because Lawrence wants a new deal, New York may only be able to get a second or a first.
Grade the pitch: The Jaguars send 2 picks to the NY Giants for Dexter Lawrence
Ok, so let's say the Jaguars get Dexter Lawrence in return for a second and a fourth. They would then need to give him a new deal. That would be the challenging part. For starters, Jacksonville only has $6 million in space right now.
Maybe the Jags could give Lawrence a signing bonus and add years to his current deals to push the cap hits into the future. That said, it would also make it a bit more difficult to re-sign Brenton Strange and wide receiver Parker Washington. After giving Travon Walker an extension, giving new deals to Strange and Washington is one of the team's priorities.
But by paying Lawrence, it's possible that one of them might have to wait to get paid. On the other hand, Jacksonville would take care of one of what's arguably their biggest need right now.
Lawrence would join a defensive front that already includes Arik Armstead, Josh Hines-Allen, and Travon Walker. Paying him would be worth it, but he would first need to show that he's the dominant player he was prior to 2025 before the Jaguars give him a new deal. And that's the thing, he hasn't registered a full sack in the past 22 games, so trading for him could be a bit risky.
But if he bounces back, and that could be a big if, a second and a fourth would be a pretty good price to pay for him.
Grade: C´+