Another All-Pro defender is on his way out of MetLife Stadium.
Over five months after the New York Jets shipped out defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and cornerback Sauce Gardner, the crosstown rival New York Giants are sending defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals.
The deal comes after New York and Lawrence failed to reach an agreement on a new contract. In exchange, the Giants will receive the 10th overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.
Trading for Lawrence never made sense for the Jets. Still, the deal carries some implications for the green side of East Rutherford.
How does the Quinnen Williams trade look now?
In hindsight, the Jets’ Quinnen Williams trade looks even better.
Williams and Lawrence are on near-identical trajectories in terms of age and accomplishments. Both were selected in the 2019 draft and are 28 years old. Williams is a four-time Pro Bowler, while Lawrence has made three trips.
Whereas the Giants only received one first-round pick for Lawrence, the Jets received a first-round pick and a second-round pick. They also received a player, defensive tackle Mazi Smith, although Smith barely played for the Jets, so he hardly adds any value to the package.
The catch is that the Giants received a first-round pick with a known slot, while the Jets will have to wait and see what the value of their pick is. The Giants know they are getting the 10th overall pick, which is better than two-thirds of the slots that the Jets’ pick could possibly end up in. They are also getting it deep into the pre-draft process, which means they have a strong sense of which players they may be able to acquire with the pick.
These factors add value to the Giants’ pick in comparison to the Jets’ 2027 first-rounder. However, the Jets’ package is arguably still better.
New York will enjoy the luxury of receiving the best first-round pick between the Cowboys and the Packers. That gives the Jets two chances to have a rival team bottom out, whether due to injuries or sheer underperformance.
Dallas and Green Bay are both expected to be competitive, so there remains a decent chance that the Jets’ first-rounder ends up being much lower than the known No. 10 slot that the Giants netted for Lawrence. Even so, the Jets will also be getting a second-round pick, which significantly buoys the package in comparison to the Giants’ lone selection.
The Jets have to feel ecstatic about their long-term asset collection after selling off two of their best players in 2025. Compared to other teams that elect to part with homegrown stars for draft capital, the Jets’ return packages continue to look better than most, if not all.
How does it affect the Jets’ possible options at No. 16?
With the Jets owning the 16th overall pick, the Bengals-Giants swap at No. 10 could affect the options available to the Jets at No. 16.
When Cincinnati owned the 10th overall pick, they were widely expected to take a defensive player. As of six days ago, the consensus mock draft had the Bengals selecting Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy.
Whether it was McCoy or not, the vast majority of mocks had the Bengals selecting a defensive prospect, given that in recent years, the franchise has excelled offensively but struggled immensely on defense. It would have been a shock if Cincinnati did not select a defender.
Could the Giants have a similar outlook?
New York has an impressive collection of young offensive talent, including quarterback Jaxson Dart, wide receiver Malik Nabers, and running back Cam Skattebo. Even without Nabers for most of last season, the Giants managed to finish a respectable 17th in scoring.
Meanwhile, they ranked 26th in points allowed. With their best defensive player gone, they are due to be even worse if they do not take serious action in the draft.
The Giants are widely expected to select either Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles or Ohio State safety Caleb Downs with the fifth overall pick. At No. 10, will they double-dip on defense? Perhaps the player they do not take at No. 5 will slip another five slots. Or, they could take someone like McCoy or Miami defensive end Rueben Bain Jr.
It is also possible, though, that the Giants use the extra pick to bolster the offense after committing the No. 5 pick to replacing Lawrence’s defensive star power. After all, both Nabers and Skattebo are coming off serious season-ending injuries. As promising as those two players have looked when healthy, the Giants would be wise to hedge their bets with the supporting cast around Dart.
If the Giants pivot to offense, they could select a wide receiver, who, at No. 10, may be the second one off the board. Ohio State’s Carnell Tate may not make it that far, but the Giants might have their pick of the rest of the bunch, including headliners like USC’s Makai Lemon and Arizona State’s fast-rising Jordyn Tyson.
Nabers is coming off a torn ACL and a partially torn meniscus. The Giants also lost their No. 2 wide receiver, Wan’Dale Robinson, in free agency. Their current WR2 is expected to be either Darius Slayton or Darnell Mooney. With this setup, Big Blue could easily take a wideout with the 10th pick.
A wide receiver being chosen 10th overall was certainly not in play when the Bengals were in that slot, given that Cincinnati is sitting pretty with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Now, though, another threat has emerged to snipe one of the top-tier wide receiver prospects before they can fall to the Jets at No. 16.
Now with an even tougher outlook to land their much-needed wide receiver with the 16th overall pick, could the Jets feel the pressure to trade up and secure their man?
Do not be shocked if the Dexter Lawrence trade ultimately changes the Jets’ approach on draft night, or at the very least, alters the player they end up with.
If the Giants indeed take a receiver, there is a good chance that all three of Tate, Lemon, and Tyson are off the board before No. 16, which could leave the Jets drafting a defensive player if they choose not to trade up.
