April 6, 2026, 6:00 p.m. ET

One day before the New York Giants are scheduled to report for their nine-week voluntary workout program, three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence has informed them that he is unhappy and wants to be traded.

Lawrence was the 17th overall selection in the 2019 NFL draft out of Clemson by the Giants and has played in 109 games over his seven seasons with Big Blue. He is widely considered the best interior defensive lineman in the game.

Although the 28-year-old Lawrence carries the highest salary cap hit on the Giants’ roster ($26.9 million), he is only the seventh-highest-paid interior defensive lineman in the NFL. By comparison, Kansas City’s Chris Jones, the player Lawrence is most compared to, earns $44 million per season. He wants to get closer to Jones’ salary-wise as well.

Here are several pros and cons to trading the All-World Lawrence as the team tries to transition back into a winner.

Pro: Lawrence is a special talent

You can’t teach size, and Lawrence, at 6-foot-4 and 340 pounds, has that. He is a solid pass-rusher up the middle and a major disruptor. As a result, he draws double teams on most snaps — that makes him very desirable and most of the league would be interested in a trade.

Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.Con: That elbow

Lawrence dislocated his elbow late in the 2024 season, which landed him on injured reserve (IR) for the final five games. Although he was deemed healthy last year, he was clearly affected by the elbow to the point where he was noticeably not the same Pro Bowl-level player. His sack total went from 9.0 in 2024 to 0.5 last season.

Pro: He’s in his prime

Lawrence is heading into his eighth NFL season but is only 28 years of age. If he’s healthy, he can anchor the Giants’ defense under new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson for the next several seasons. Lawrence usually plays near 70 percent of the Giants’ defensive snaps. He’d be difficult to replace.

Con: Giants don’t have much salary cap space to pay him

The Giants have roughly $7.5 million in cap space to work with, and they’ll need that to pay their rookies. They will need approximately $11-12 million to allocate to their seven draft picks this spring.

Pro: Giants can get a haul for an unhappy player

The Giants only have two picks in the first three rounds of the 2026 NFL draft: No. 5 in the first round and No. 37 in Round 2. Trading Lawrence can do several things. One, get them another early-round pick (and more), and two, free up a load of salary cap space to address other needs.

Keep in mind, Lawrence was drafted by Dave Gettleman, and no one in the current front office has a particular allegiance to him.