Bengals, DT Dexter Lawrence Agree To One-Year Extension
The trade sending DT Dexter Lawrence from the Giants to the Bengals in exchange for the No. 10 overall pick in this week’s draft also included an extension with Cincinnati. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was first to report that Lawrence has inked a one-year, $28MM extension that will keep Lawrence under the Bengals’ control through 2028.
A report that emerged in the immediate aftermath of the trade suggested the Giants did make an effort to retain Lawrence even after the Bengals put the No. 10 pick on the table. Paul Schwartz of the New York Post corroborates that report and confirms Big Blue made offers that would have resulted in a sizable raise for Lawrence, which the 28-year-old obviously declined.
Connor Hughes of SNY.tv adds that the Giants’ proposals included an average annual value “near” $28MM, but in exchange, they wanted to add more years to Lawrence’s existing deal (which had two seasons remaining). Per Hughes, Lawrence’s camp did not even make a counteroffer, which – combined with the relatively modest terms of his Cincinnati extension – make it plain that the player simply wanted a fresh start elsewhere.
Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk passes along a full breakdown of Lawrence’s Cincinnati deal. He was due $42MM over the final two seasons of his Joe Schoen-constructed contract, and the $28MM add-on makes it a three-year, $70MM agreement. The $23.33MM average annual value places Lawrence 10th among defensive tackles, just one spot higher than he was before the trade (though he will get some near-term raises; he was previously scheduled to earn $20MM in 2026 and $22MM in 2027, but he is now due $22MM in ‘26, $25MM in ‘27, and $23MM in ‘28, as Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano summarizes).
Lawrence’s potential impact on a Cincinnati defense that has undermined the club’s chances of qualifying for the playoffs in recent seasons, together with a financial commitment that does not shoot their new acquisition particularly high up the league’s DT hierarchy, help to justify the Bengals’ uncharacteristic aggressiveness here. That said, league sources still believe the Giants did well to land the No. 10 choice.
Hughes spoke with several coaches who were “stunned” by the return. Those coaches agreed that Lawrence is a very good player but pointed to his age and conditioning as cause for concern, as well as the fact that he needs to be kept on something of a snap count to maximize his production. ESPN’s Jordan Raanan says the Giants themselves were surprised by the strength of the Bengals’ offer, and Raanan’s colleague, Jeremy Fowler, hears no one was going to top it.
Lawrence is coming off a down year – albeit one Schoen partially blamed on the elbow injury the three-time Pro Bowler sustained late in 2024 – and even though their gamble is mitigated to some degree by the nature of the extension, the Bengals are clearly banking on a return to elite form. In a statement issued after the trade became official, director of player personnel Duke Tobin made sure to thank much-maligned owner Mike Brown for greenlighting the transaction and added that he expects Lawrence to elevate the players around him (the full statement is available here, courtesy of SI’s Jay Morrison).
Lawrence is the centerpiece of an offseason defensive overhaul in the Queen City that also includes the additions of Jonathan Allen, Boye Mafe, Bryan Cook, and Kyle Dugger. The Giants, meanwhile, could consider one of the top DT prospects in the draft as a Lawrence replacement, and they now have two top-10 selections to help their quest for a return to contention.
Giants, Bengals Agree To DT Dexter Lawrence Trade
Dexter Lawrence is indeed on the move. The Pro Bowl defensive tackle’s trade request will result in a swap sending him to the AFC North.
The Giants and Bengals have agreed to a Lawrence trade, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network report. This deal involves the No. 10 pick in next week’s draft heading to New York. An extension is also part of this blockbuster development, per the report. Cincinnati’s Day 1 selection is the only draft capital involved in the deal, ESPN’s Jordan Raanan adds.
[RELATED: Traded Draft Picks For 2026]
Lawrence was unable to work out an extension agreement last offseason, with a short-term incentive package being agreed to instead. The arrival of head coach John Harbaugh and a new reporting structure in the organization did not yield progress during the latest round of negotiations, prompting a trade request shortly before the draft. The immediate response indicated a swap was not expected, but it soon became clear the Giants were not interested in adding term or new money to the remainder of Lawrence’s contract. Talks broke off earlier this week, although team and player remained in communication leading up to tonight’s news.
In recent days it has become well known that Lawrence was open to a fresh start and that New York did not feel a sense of urgency to commit to a raise with the veteran coming off the least productive season of his career. The Giants understandably set a high asking price in this case, with a top-10 pick being sought out. They have managed to land one, and the team now holds selections No. 5 and 10 heading into the first round.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports efforts on the part of the Bengals to finalize this swap picked up over the past several days. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated adds the teams have been in contact for two weeks, with discussions centering on the price of a premium pick. The Giants initially tried to keep Lawrence even after receiving the Bengals’ offer, per SNY’s Connor Hughes; with the relationship beyond repair, the deal has now been agreed to. New York’s draft outlook is certainly much different now than it previously was.
The Giants will clear Lawrence’s remaining salaries for 2026 and ’27 from their books. With this swap taking place prior to June 1, the team will incur a dead money charge ($13.92MM) nearly identical to the cap savings ($13.04MM) which will be realized. Replacing Lawrence deep into free agency and/or by means of a draft class short on high-end defensive line prospects will now be a major priority.
From the Bengals’ perspective, this is an uncharacteristically aggressive move. Cincinnati has a reputation for avoiding high-profile transactions such as this, although the franchise’s approach has seen changes in recent years given the massive commitments made to the likes of Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Investing heavily in those three has helped lead to defensive shortcomings, and upgrading on that side of the ball has been a key focus this offseason. Illustrating the nature of this acquisition, Raanan’s colleague Adam Schefter notes this is the first time in the common draft era (1966-present) the Bengals have traded away a top-10 pick.
The Bengals have made a number of defensive free agent additions, including the signing of Jonathan Allen not long after his release. He and Lawrence will aim to improve a defense which struggled in a number of categories in 2025, including a last-place finish against the run. Cincinnati showed interest in trading for Osa Odighizuwa last month, but after being unable to swing a deal on that front the team has managed to secure a major addition along the defensive interior. Lawrence, 28, has three Pro Bowl nods and two appearances on the second All-Pro team to his name.
Returning to his previous form would be critical for the Clemson product and the Bengals’ ability to reach the postseason in 2026. Lawrence has been one of the league’s premiere interior pass rushers for much of his career, but last season saw him post just 0.5 sacks and 12 QB pressures. That drop-off in production was a key reason driving the Giants’ hesitancy with respect to a new deal moving Lawrence back toward the top of the defensive tackle market. Prior to this agreement, his $22.5MM-per-year pact sat outside the top 10 for the position.
Lowering Lawrence’s 2026 cap charge will be key for Cincinnati. The team entered Saturday 31st in the NFL in cap space with nowhere near enough room to absorb his figure and afford to sign its incoming draft class. The particulars will certainly be worth watching for as the Bengals prepare to build around Lawrence while authorizing a big-money deal in addition to a substantial acquisition cost.
Titans To Pick Up Peter Skoronski’s Fifth-Year Option
The Titans are planning to exercise left guard Peter Skoronski‘s fifth-year option, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports. Skoronski will earn a $19.07MM salary in 2027.
This was an easy call for Tennessee, which has seen Skoronski turn into a key building block during his three-year career. With former general manager Ran Carthon then atop their front office, the Titans used the 11th overall pick on Skoronski in 2023. While they drafted Skoronski has a tackle, the Northwestern product shifted inside. He has started in all 48 of his games with the Titans.
[RELATED: 2027 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker]
Last season was the second straight 17-game campaign for the durable Skoronski, whose only three absences came in his rookie year. He was the lone member of the Titans’ offense to play every snap in 2025. He also finished as Pro Football Focus’ fifth-ranked guard among 79 qualifiers. Additionally, it was the second year in a row Skoronski placed in the top 20 among guards in ESPN’s pass block win rate metric. He climbed to seventh after coming in 15th in 2024.
The fact that Skoronski has broken through as a standout lineman is especially beneficial to a team trying to develop and protect a young quarterback. Cam Ward took a league-high 55 sacks as a rookie, but Skoronski did his best to keep the 2025 No. 1 overall pick upright. GM Mike Borgonzi publicly identified Skoronski as an extension candidate in the wake of a career year.
“We always try to secure our best players early,” Borgonzi said. “And that is obviously a tool, an option we can use. But our goal is to get something done with Peter. With Peter, he is one of our better players, and we’d like him here long-term.”
Thanks to the fifth-year option, the Titans at least have Skoronski under wraps for two more seasons. It is clear that Borgonzi wants to extend the partnership beyond then, but doing so will not come cheap. If an agreement comes together, Skoronski could become the sixth guard in the league averaging $20MM per year.
Texans, DE Will Anderson Jr. Agree On Record-Setting Extension
The edge defender market stood south of $35MM per year barely 13 months ago. It has now climbed to $50MM AAV. Will Anderson Jr. agreed to a monster Texans extension Friday, continuing this market’s rocket rise.
Houston and Anderson agreed to a three-year, $150MM extension that comes with $134MM guaranteed, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. The contract includes a no-trade clause. This is a rarity among non-quarterbacks, but Anderson is now (by a notable margin) the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history.
[RELATED: Early Extensions For First-Rounders In Fifth-Year Option Era]
Anderson will receive $100MM fully guaranteed, Rapoport adds. This crucial number checks in third among defenders — behind Micah Parsons and T.J. Watt — but the guarantee vesting schedule will be important to learn here.
Parsons landed $120MM at signing, agreeing to a four-year extension. Parsons and Anderson each signed off on five-year terms (effectively), as one season remained on the ex-Cowboy’s rookie contract at the time of signing. The Texans exercised Anderson’s fifth-year option last week, locking him down through 2027. Although this extension provides the former No. 3 overall pick with a massive guarantee influx, the rookie deal running through 2027 will keep him under Texans control through 2030.
While Anderson has not achieved what Parsons, Watt or Myles Garrett have, he is just 24 and coming off a first-team All-Pro season. The Alabama alum tallied 12 sacks last season, teaming with Danielle Hunter to form a dominant edge-rushing duo. The Texans gave Hunter one-year bumps in each of the past two offseasons; the 31-year-old Anderson bookend is now signed through 2027 via the $40.1MM deal he inked last month. In terms of AAV, the Texans have the NFL’s highest- and fourth-highest-paid edge rushers.
Anderson, who registered 11 sacks in 2024, follows Derek Stingley Jr. in signing a three-year, market-shifting extension in his fourth NFL offseason. Houston gave its cornerback ace a three-year, $90MM extension. That moved the CB market by $5MM per year at the time and set the table for Sauce Gardner and Trent McDuffie‘s extensions. Anderson moved his market’s AAV bar by $3.5MM, with the Packers signing off on a record-setting Parsons agreement following an August 2025 trade.
We heard earlier this week Anderson was likely to set a price point at or above $50MM per year. The salary cap’s annual growth has changed players’ preferred term length, with three-year deals far more common now than they were even a few offseasons ago. The cap jumped from $279.2MM to $301.2MM this offseason. Anderson may well end up the top beneficiary from the latest climb, and it is certainly noteworthy to trace the EDGE market’s transformation over the past 13-plus months.
Nick Bosa‘s $34MM-per-year 49ers extension stood as the high-water mark here from September 2023 to March 2025. Before Bosa’s September 2023 agreement, no one had eclipsed Watt’s first Steelers payday ($28MM per year) for two full years.
Both Brian Burns and Josh Hines-Allen‘s 2024 deals did not come especially close to eclipsing Bosa’s pact, but the Raiders’ March 2025 Maxx Crosby extension (three years, $106.5MM) gave the position a new kingpin. The floodgates opened when the Browns changed Garrett’s trade aim with a four-year, $160MM payday days later. Hunter’s first Texans extension bridged the gap between Crosby and Garrett, and the Steelers gave Watt his second extension (three years, $123MM) last summer. After Parsons’ blockbuster extension delayed the Lions’ talks with Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit’s star pass rusher reached $45MM per year to sit second to Parsons in defender AAV when the dust settled. Hutchinson drops to third after this Anderson news.
While Aaron Donald once led the way among all defenders, a sizable gap has now emerged between edge rushers and interior defensive linemen. Not dissimilar to the gulf that has formed between wide receivers and tight ends, Anderson’s $50MM-per-year number is now nearly $19MM north of Chris Jones‘ DT-leading AAV ($31.75MM). The rest of the D-tackle market sits a whopping $24MM in AAV behind the new EDGE ceiling. It would stand to reason that market will receive an update, but after the two positional ceilings stood near one another entering the 2025 offseason — a year after Jones’ payday — it is striking to see how much more valuable teams have viewed top edge defenders in the months since.
After essentially conducting a pre-rebuild year in his first year on the job — a 2021 season that featured 17 Deshaun Watson healthy scratches amid the QB’s trade request and subsequent turmoil — Nick Caserio drafted Stingley and Jalen Pitre in 2022. The 2023 draft brought more foundational pieces, with the Texans taking C.J. Stroud at No. 2 overall and then trading up nine spots to nab Anderson at No. 3. Caserio sent the Cardinals the Texans’ own 2024 first-rounder — rather than the third first-rounder obtained from the Browns for Watson — to move up, and Houston’s 2023 success dropped that pick to No. 27. The Texans beating the Browns in the 2023 wild-card round made Cleveland’s pick higher than Arizona’s in 2024; though, Houston traded out of that first round (and last year’s first round).
The Texans have formed a menacing defense, and Anderson joins Stingley as the driving forces. Unsurprisingly, a rumor surfaced during the 2025 season the Texans were eyeing a 2026 payday for their emerging edge rusher. The sides entered talks late last month. Houston has now extended both its defensive anchors on three-year accords, giving both DeMeco Ryans cornerstones a chance to come back to the table before age 30.
It remains to be seen if the Texans will pay Stroud this offseason, but after an uneven two seasons following his Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign, it may behoove both parties to wait. As it stands, Stroud appears likelier to be extended in 2027. The team exercised its QB’s fifth-year option, however, providing a sizable guarantee ($25.9MM) for 2027. Anderson’s option came in at $21.51MM, but that is now moot thanks to this extension.
Like Jaxon Smith-Njigba in Seattle, Houston is taking care of key contract business involving a 2023 first-rounder rather than dragging the process out into a contract year. The Seahawks gave the reigning Offensive Player of the Year a receiver-record contract shortly after exercising his fifth-year option. Now, the Texans have followed suit and will build their defense around the Anderson and Stingley deals for the foreseeable future.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/17/26
Today’s only minor NFL moves:
Green Bay Packers
- Waived (with injury designation): LB Jamon Johnson
- Waived: TE McCallan Castles, CB Tyron Herring
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Waived: G Cooper Hodges
The Packers have cleared up some roster space just six days before the NFL draft. Herring and Johnson signed with the team as undrafted free agents just under a year ago, while Castles did the same with the Eagles in 2024 and found his way to Green Bay this past November.
A 2023 seventh-round pick for the Jaguars, Hodges spent his rookie season on injured reserve. He made his NFL debut as a backup in the 2024 season before getting called into starting action in a Week 9 trip to Philadelphia. During the first and only NFL start of his career so far, Hodges suffered a season-ending knee injury and spent the 2025 season on IR, as well.
Falcons, Jaguars Swap DTs Ruke Orhorhoro, Maason Smith
The Falcons and Jaguars have changed GMs and coaching staffs since the 2024 draft, when the teams respectively chose Ruke Orhorhoro and Maason Smith in the second round. The two defensive tackles are now switching sides.
Atlanta is sending Orhorhoro to Jacksonville for Smith, straight up, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Both D-tackles have two seasons left on their rookie contracts. The trade has since been announced.
This trade involves eerily similar profiles. The Falcons chose Orhorhoro 35th in the 2024 draft, while the Jags added Smith at No. 48. Orhorhoro has made eight career starts; Smith has made seven. Orhorhoro has three career sacks, Smith 3.5.
GM Terry Fontenot traded up for Orhorhoro two drafts ago, sending the Cardinals a third-round pick in exchange for a sixth-rounder and No. 35 — which the NFC South team used on the Clemson product. GM Trent Baalke selected Smith 13 spots later. Neither player has stood out as a pro, and this trade will give each a fresh start. Acquired by GM James Gladstone, Orhorhoro will now play for Jaguars DC Anthony Campanile. The Matt Ryan/Ian Cunningham tandem will plug Smith into Jeff Ulbrich‘s defense.
Pro Football Focus ranked Smith 100th among 127 qualified interior D-linemen last season and slotted Orhorhoro 123rd (due largely to a porous grade in run stoppage). Ulbrich received a decent look at Orhorhoro last season, using him on 54% of Atlanta’s defensive snaps. That evidently was enough to determine he was not a good fit. Smith played 51% of the Jags’ defensive snaps as a rookie but dropped to a 36% snap share last season.
Orhorhoro, 24, combined to make 24 tackles for loss from 2021-23 at Clemson. He tallied nine sacks between the 2022 and ’23 seasons, creating a quality draft profile. Smith, 23, was not as productive at LSU. He tallied 4.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks as a junior in 2023, but the former five-star recruit saw his college career altered by an ACL tear in the Tigers’ 2022 opener.
Smith is due a $1.1MM 2026 salary guarantee, but no money is locked in for 2027. As second-round picks continue to make guarantee gains, Orhorhoro secured a $1.7MM 2026 guarantee and has $966K locked in for 2027. This move gives the Falcons a bit more flexibility, but both players have work to do at their next destinations if they want to target free agency paydays down the road.
The Falcons have now added Smith, Da’Shawn Hand and Chris Williams to their defensive line this offseason, with Samson Ebukam and Azeez Ojulari joining as edge rushers. Jacksonville has been less active, as Orhorhoro is their only notable D-line addition. That could certainly change via the draft. The Jags return Arik Armstead and DaVon Hamilton, while the Falcons — who lost David Onyemata (to the Jets) in free agency — have part-time 2025 starters Brandon Dorlus and Zach Harrison under contract as interior D-linemen.
Cardinals Exercise LT Paris Johnson Jr.’s Fifth-Year Option
When the Cardinals selected Paris Johnson Jr. sixth overall in the 2023 draft, he was expected to establish himself as a core figure on offense. That has proven to be the case, and his Arizona tenure will continue beyond next season.
To no surprise, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports the Cardinals will exercise Johnson’s fifth-year option. The move will ensure Johnson remains in the fold through at least 2027. A fully guaranteed salary of $19.07MM is in store for that season, although a long-term extension carrying a much larger price tag can be anticipated in this case. GM Monti Ossenfort has since confirmed the news (h/t ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss).
[RELATED: Fifth-Year Option Tracker]
Johnson handled right tackle duties as a rookie, but the decision to move on from veteran D.J. Humphries created a vacancy on the blindside. As expected, that resulted in the Cardinals moving Johnson to the left side with free agent signing Jonah Williams taking on the right tackle spot. That setup was in place for the past two years, but Williams remains unsigned deep into free agency. A new RT starter will be in place for 2026. The Cardinals could address the position with the third overall pick in the draft next week, though trading down is a possibility. Regardless, Johnson will be counted on in his current capacity for the foreseeable future.
A former Ohio State standout, Johnson was Ossenfort’s first pick atop the Arizona front office. Ossenfort traded from third to 12th and then back up six spots to select Johnson. The 6-foot-6, 325-pounder has begun his NFL career with 43 straight starts. However, his only 17-game season to date came as a rookie. He missed three games in 2024 and another five last year, which he ended on IR as a result of a knee injury.
Before spraining his PCL, Johnson played every snap during the Cardinals’ first 12 games. Pro Football Focus ranked Johnson’s performance a solid 23rd among 84 tackles. Now committed to Johnson for at least two more seasons, the Cardinals are confident he will continue to serve as an offensive cornerstone.
Connor Byrne contributed to this post.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/14/26
Today’s minor moves:
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed ERFA tender: RB Kimani Vidal
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed ERFA tender: DE Jalen Redmond
With Omarion Hampton and Najee Harris both suffering injuries, Kimani Vidal unexpectedly led the Chargers in rushing attempts in 2025. The former sixth-round pick ended up having a productive sophomore season, finishing with 779 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns. The Chargers did bring in Keaton Mitchell this offseason, but Vidal should still have a role on the team in 2026.
Jalen Redmond caught on with the Vikings ahead of the 2024 season and got some limited run on defense, but he emerged as a foundational piece in 2025. The defensive end ended up starting 15 of his 17 appearances this past year, finishing with 62 tackles and six sacks. Pro Football Focus was especially fond of his performance, ranking him 20th among 127 qualifying interior defenders in 2025.
Colts Sign S Nasir Adderley
Nasir Adderley‘s comeback attempt will produce an opportunity. The former Chargers starter agreed to terms with the Colts, according to the AFC South franchise.
Adderley has not played since the 2022 season, but the former Bolts second-round pick (29 in May) will give it a go in Indianapolis. The Chargers used Adderley as a three-year starter, but rather than pursue a free agency deal following the expiration of his rookie contract, Adderley retired. He backtracked on that after three missed seasons, revealing in February an intention to come back.
Even in an era featuring earlier retirements, it was surprising to see Adderley walk away before his 26th birthday. He had played out a four-year, $4.73MM rookie contract and stood to top that as a free agent in 2023. But the Delaware product cited health reasons when he retired. This is far from the most notable unretirement the Colts have greenlit over the past year, with Philip Rivers — an ex-Adderley Charger teammate — famously reemerging after nearly five seasons away to start three games as an emergency option late last season.
Although Rivers worked directly with Shane Steichen during the latter’s time as Bolts OC and QBs coach, the current Colts HC was on the Los Angeles staff during part of Adderley’s tenure. Steichen was in place as QBs coach to start the 2019 season and served as Anthony Lynn‘s OC in 2020.
The Chargers used Adderley as a starter in 44 games from 2020-22, lining him up alongside Derwin James for much of that period. Adderley retired after his contract expired, and after the Bolts had turned to Alohi Gilman to be James’ next sidekick. Gilman’s re-signing came three days before Adderley’s retirement announcement. It would have made sense for Adderley to pursue a free agency deal elsewhere rather than retire, but the former No. 60 overall pick displayed his conviction by remaining out of football for three seasons.
As James roamed the formation, Adderley spent most of his time as a free safety under both Brandon Staley and Gus Bradley. The latter — who served as Colts DC from 2022-24 — oversaw Adderley’s development from 2019-20. Despite frequent FS alignment, Adderley made 99 tackles (three for loss) in 2021. He intercepted two passes in 2022, when Pro Football Focus graded him 36th out of 89 qualified safeties.
The Colts lost Nick Cross in free agency; the Commanders added the two-year Indianapolis starter on a two-year, $13MM deal. Cross played more as a box defender last season, with free agent signing Camryn Bynum in place at free safety under Lou Anarumo. Adderley joins Jonathan Owens and Juanyeh Thomas as Colts safety additions this offseason.
Owens, Thomas and 2025 seventh-round pick Hunter Wohler had been set for a competition; Adderley may soon join that fray. If nothing else, this agreement allows the fifth-year veteran to vie for a roster spot. It would be interesting to see if his unretirement will stick for a practice squad opportunity, should it come to that after a busy Colts offseason at safety.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/13/26
One minor moves to pass along:
Las Vegas Raiders
- Placed on reserve/retired list: OL Joshua Miles
Miles joined the Raiders practice squad back in December and was retained via a reserve/futures contract after the season. However, he’s now apparently calling it a career, as the organization placed the lineman on the reserve/retired list today.
The 2019 seventh-round pick out of Morgan State has bounced around the NFL over the past few years. Besides his recent stint with the Raiders, Miles also spent time with the Cardinals, Falcons, Giants, Bears, and Browns. He got into 17 games with the Cardinals between 2019 and 2021, although the majority of his snaps came on special teams.