In a world where Jerry Jones is still trying to figure out how to extend Micah Parsons, one of the league’s most talented defensive stars, and Trevon Diggs’ contract quietly triggered a de-escalator for no real reason, it’s almost impressive how badly he’s fumbled contract situations with his best players.
Instead of getting ahead of things, the Cowboys opted to make things harder on themselves for the sake of some media attention.
Fortunately, Jerry doesn't own, run, or do anything for the New York Giants, who just took care of their own defensive superstar.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, New York added $3 million in incentives to Dexter Lawrence’s contract for the 2025 season. He was set to make $17 million. Now he’s got a path to $20 million — without the drama, without the holdout threats, and without the PR disaster that comes with making your best defender feel unappreciated.
Related: Dexter Lawrence said what every Giants fan hoped to hear about rising rookie
It’s the kind of move teams feel like are a "nice to do," but rarely get around to actually doing it. But this one got done, and it sends the right message inside the building.
Giants don’t wait for problems to start before doing the right thing
Lawrence is still under contract through 2027. This isn’t some new deal or rework, and it doesn’t tie the team’s hands with guarantees or cap hits down the line. It’s simply a recognition of reality: you can’t keep asking the ninth-highest paid DT to play like the best in football and not do something about it.
The G-Men found a way to bridge that gap. The incentives probably won’t hit the cap this year, and they won’t matter unless Lawrence does what he always does — be the best interior presence in football.
He's coming off a career-high nine sacks in 12 games. He’s made three straight Pro Bowls. He’s been the most consistently dominant player on the team since entering the league. It’s not hard to understand why they paid the man.
Lawrence didn't do anything to initiate this other than play well. There was no mention of being unhappy with his deal or anything like that, but the numbers don’t lie. His base salary this year was looking light, and the market for elite interior defenders has only exploded since he signed his deal.
Hey Jerry, this is how you keep your stars happy without overcomplicating everything. Lawrence has nothing left to prove, and the team didn’t waste time pretending otherwise. Rewarding the team's best players like this isn’t just smart — it’s necessary if the Giants want to avoid the kind of disaster playing out right now in Dallas.
