a corner unless they chose to be. So this isn’t some big example of player empowerment — it’s an example of an organization deciding to cave instead of standing firm
If you’re going to talk about leverage, this situation says more about the Giants’ decision-making than
NYGiants trading Dexter Lawrence doesn’t prove that players suddenly have all the power to force their way out. If anything, it shows the opposite — that a team folded when they didn’t have to.
Lawrence was still under contract for two more years. The Giants had control. They weren’t backed into
walked out the door.
- Dexter Lawrence
- Saquon Barkley
- Xavier McKinney
- Julian Love
Let’s hope that with John Harbaugh now firmly entrenched as head coach, that trend starts to reverse itself.
No team is going to have Pro Bowlers and/or All-Pros every single season, but just imagine how different the Giants’ fortunes might have been had they managed to retain all the talent they spent months scouting and years developing after drafting them that ultimately
You can’t preach “once a Giant, always a Giant” and then turn around and trash a player (like Dexter Lawrence or Saquon Barkley)--- the moment he leaves on bad terms.
That’s not loyalty—that’s hypocrisy. If the relationship didn’t work out, just move on. Don’t rewrite the narrative to tear the player down. At that point, the slogan doesn’t mean anything.
between the Giants and Dexter Lawrence — it happens in this league all the time. Not every breakup needs a smear campaign.
Just move on and keep it professional.
NYGiants always seem to do the same thing when a player leaves on bad terms — they send out their media lapdogs to run a hit piece on them.
Now it’s Dexter Lawrence, and suddenly you’ve got Tony Pauline questioning his work ethic from Monday through Saturday.
Come on. Things didn’t work out
scheme, it completely took him out of what he does best. Instead of being freed up to attack and win one-on-one, he was stuck playing a more traditional, space-eating role. It didn’t maximize his talent—it minimized it. Honestly, the scheme change was completely asinine.
to a 3–4, Lawrence was often lined up differently and asked to play a more traditional nose tackle role. That change limited his opportunities and impact, and it showed in his production during the season.
That’s exactly why Dexter Lawrence’s production dropped. When Shane Bowen switched
Under Wink Martindale, Dexter Lawrence thrived in a 4–3 defensive scheme that was designed to free him up for one-on-one matchups against guards. That system played to his strengths and allowed him to dominate.
But when Shane Bowen came in and switched the New York Giants defense to
Steph Banatte