The Chicago Bears may not want to hand over major NFL draft assets to the New York Giants in a trade for Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, but the latest prediction on Lawrence’s price point would make a deal more plausible.
On April 6, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Lawrence — a three-time Pro Bowler — has requested a trade from the Giants after two offseasons of failed extension talks.
Lawrence has two years remaining on his four-year, $90 million contract, but SNY’s Connor Hughes has reported that the 28-year-old is seeking a new deal between $30 million and $35 million annually that would put him near or at the top of the market.
While an acquiring team should expect a steep contract cost for Lawrence, though, the expectations are much lower for the trade cost itself to pry him loose from the Giants, who are not actively shopping their star interior defender despite his standing request.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox even believes the Bears could add Lawrence without trading any of their picks in the first three rounds of the 2026 NFL draft, predicting that the Giants would part ways with him for a 2026 fourth and a 2027 conditional third.
“If the Giants make Lawrence available at a reasonable price point, the Chicago Bears should be inclined to pounce,” Knox wrote on April 11. “Chicago emerged as a legitimate contender this past season, but its defense needs improvement.
“Adding Lawrence could help Chicago bolster a run defense that ranked 29th in yards per carry allowed and a pass rush that generated only 35 combined sacks.”
Dexter Lawrence Trade Might Not Fit Bears’ Plans
Lawrence is a high-end player at arguably the Bears’ biggest position of need, but a low sticker price on a trade for him might not be enough to incline Chicago “to pounce.”
The Bears would face an enormous task in figuring out how to pay Lawrence the money that he is seeking and fit his new contract on their books. According to Over the Cap, they are down to just $219,549 in 2026 cap space, which falls to roughly $4.4 million over the cap when accounting for how much it will cost to sign all of their draft picks.
While Chicago has levers it could pull — such as trading tight end Cole Kmet to clear between $8.4 million and $10 million in space — it would squeeze them tightly and leave them little room for in-season spending and flexibility if other problems arise.
Now, the Bears could potentially work out a contract structure that heavily backloads Lawrence’s earnings and pays him the bulk of his money in future seasons, when they will have more cap space available to accommodate such a high-priced contract. Even then, though, it is a lot of money for a veteran who tallied just a half-sack last season.
Could Bears Explore DT Trades After Round 1 of Draft?
Another reason for the Bears to keep the phones quiet and avoid looking too closely at a potential trade for Lawrence is their positioning in the first round of the 2026 draft.
With less than two weeks to go until opening night, the Bears should have a shot at one of several of the top defensive tackles in the class when they are on the clock at No. 25 overall. Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald, Clemson’s Peter Woods and Georgia’s Christen Miller are all legitimate options for them who could bolster their iffy defensive interior.
The Bears also have the flexibility to move up further into the first round using one of their two second-round selections (Nos. 57 and 60), if they badly want a specific guy.
If the Bears do not take a defensive tackle and feel worse about their ability to improve their defensive interior after the first round, though, that could be when they start to re-evaluate the prospects of a trade for a veteran talent, such as Lawrence with the Giants.
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