Dexter Lawrence trade request: Giants coach John Harbaugh 'saw it coming'

John Harbaugh had a feeling Dexter Lawrence would request a trade at this point of the offseason. The new New York Giants head coach certainly has his first drama on his hands.

The veteran defensive lineman reportedly won’t show up to the team’s offseason program. Harbaugh conceded he wants Lawrence back on the team but noted there is an unpredictability when it comes to wheeling and dealing around the league.

“We’ll find out,” Harbaugh said, via The New York Post. “The Giants, speaking for the Giants, we want Dexter here. I believe Dexter wants to be here. That’s a good formula. But there’s business involved. It’s a business proposition. We know it’s pro football. These things happen every year, pretty much on every team. Not surprised by it. Saw it coming a few weeks back, probably.”

Harbaugh also said Lawrence wasn’t really granted a request. Lawrence just wants out at this point in his career. But it remains to be seen if he’ll actually be dealt.

“I don’t know that granting a request is really the right way to say it, because it doesn’t really work that way,” Harbaugh said. “It’s not like a Christmas gift, it just doesn’t work like that.

“It’s a little different because I knew Lamar. It’s not quite that way with Dex, I don’t know Dex as well. “It will get resolved, it’s gonna work out. Dexter wants to play, we want him to play. How it’s all gonna shake out, we don’t control that.”

Moreover, Lawrence, 28, has been one of the Giants’ most consistent and dominant defenders since being selected No. 17 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. Over his career, he’s earned three Pro Bowl selections and two second-team All-Pro honors, establishing himself as one of the premier interior defensive linemen in the league.

However, 2025 marked a downturn statistically. The former Clemson star finished with just half a sack, eight quarterback hits and an 8.3% pass rush win rate on a team that struggled to a 4-13 record.

Even so, his overall body of work, including 30.5 career sacks and a reputation as a disruptive force in the middle, makes him a foundational player. And now, with negotiations at a standstill, the Giants are facing the possibility of losing exactly that.