Some foolish writer stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to cover every inch of the Cincinnati Bengals' massive trade for New York Giants star Dexter Lawrence, and grossly overestimated what he'd cost in the coming years.
One of the many pieces up on Stripe Hype today on Lawrence dove into the prospective salary cap ramifications of Lawrence's new contract. The assumption was that Cincinnati would have to rework Lawrence's current deal to better align with his top-of-market value and extend him on top of that.
Well, that second step happened, but unless something's amiss, the first didn't. Lawrence is playing out the remaining two years on his current contract at a bargain rate, and is tied to the team on a one-year extension beyond that through 2028.
Bengals sacrificing 10th overall pick for Dexter Lawrence was well worth it based on his bottom-line cost
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Lawrence passing his physical as of Sunday not long after he touched down in Cincinnati, and provided clarity on the 28-year-old's contract situation:
"Compensation update: Now that he has passed his physical and the trade is official, newly-acquired DT Dexter Lawerence is signing a one-year, $28 million contract extension with the Bengals, per @WinSportsGroup. So in the end, Lawrence gets the trade he wanted while being contractually tied to Cincinnati for the next three seasons."
Here were my guesstimates, and granted, I figured Lawrence would play out the 2026 season on his current deal before the following figures kicked in on a market-resetting three-year, $105 million extension:
- 2026 — $20 million
- 2027 — $30.5 million
- 2028 — $35.5 million
- 2029 — $39 million
Now on to what Lawrence will actually be on the books for in Cincinnati the next few years, according to OverTheCap.com and Schefter's report about the one-year, $28 million extension for 2028:
- 2026 — $20 million
- 2027 — $22 million
- 2028 — $28 million
Talk about an absolute steal. The average annual value over the course of that three-year, $70 million accord the Bengals are committed to is $23.3 million. That nudges Lawrence past DeForest Buckner and into the top 10 for interior defensive linemen in that category, but by 2028? Lawrence's contract will look like an absolute steal.
The big worry here: Lawrence outplays his deal, gets into a contract spat with the Bengals, and we have a horror-genre sequel to the annual Trey Hendrickson soap opera.
We can worry about that later, however. For now, let's celebrate one of the true watershed moments in franchise history. This could be the turning point that proves the Bengals have finally changed their ways, that they're all-in on Joe Burrow, and will do whatever it takes to ensure Lawrence stays in Cincy through at least 2028.
I'm sure the compensation Lawrence is receiving still isn't ideal. However, if he lives up to the hype, and helps spearhead a deep playoff run, I'm sure something can be hashed out. Winning cures all as they say, and the Bengals figure to do a lot more of it with a healthy Burrow and a newly acquired defensive cornerstone in Lawrence.
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