Why Giants' Dexter Lawrence trade is deflating news for Bears and Packers originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The NFL world was thrown for a loop on Saturday when the New York Giants agreed to trade defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals for a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft (No. 10 overall).
Although Lawrence is a high-level talent who, despite his inconsistencies, has enjoyed a solid career thus far, the consensus is that he isn’t worth a top-10 pick. Obviously, the Bengals thought otherwise, prompting them to acquire the 28-year-old over the weekend.
Unfortunately for the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, the Giants’ decision to trade Lawrence to the Bengals will negatively affect the two NFC franchises.
“Kayvon Thibodeaux was the subject of trade chatter this offseason,” NFL.com’s Jeremy Bergman wrote Monday. “After Saturday's trade of Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to Cincinnati, consider that chatter muted.”
“New York is now considered less likely to deal the former first-round pick, and Thibodeaux is set to play out the 2026 season on his $14.751 million fifth-year option, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday, per sources.”
“Teams had recently talked to Big Blue about Thibodeaux, 25, but as with Lawrence, it was going to take the right price for the Giants to deal him, NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo added.”
Essentially, with New York cutting ties with Lawrence, the organization doesn’t have a clear incentive to move on from Thibodeau this offseason. The Bears and Packers are among the teams believed to be in the mix for the former first-round pick.
The Bears’ 2025-26 pass-rushing struggles (only 35 sacks recorded) would make it wise for Chicago to pursue the 25-year-old aggressively. Likewise, the Packers’ defense, led by Micah Parsons (who’s recovering from a torn ACL), could use some reinforcements after finishing with only 36 sacks during the 2025-26 campaign.
Based on Bergman’s report, though, it doesn’t appear as though either organization will upgrade on the defensive side of the ball by acquiring Thibodeaux anytime soon.
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