After Dexter Lawrence requested a trade from the New York Giants, his teammate Brian Burns said that the team isn’t the same without “No. 97 in the middle.” He is hoping that the sides can work it out between them, stressing Lawrence’s importance to the team.
According to The New York Post, Burns is in favor of the team meeting his teammates’ demands after contract negotiations recently broke down. He wants Lawrence to remain a Giant, despite his trade request.
“Speaking for me, the Giants ain’t the Giants without No. 97 in the middle,” Burns told the media outlet. “So we are going to figure that out to keep him here regardless, I hope. That’s my boy. And I don’t want to play this season or any other season without him.”
According to USA Today, the nose tackle will be entering the third year of a four-year, $90 million extension he inked after the 2022 season. He is looking for more money.
ESPN reports that the team’s general manager, Joe Schoen, and the new head coach, John Harbaugh, said the Giants would like a solution that makes both sides happy, as the team wants him in a Giants uniform.
“I’ll echo what coach said last week: We’d like for Dexter to be here, and at some point, we’ll come to a resolution here, whatever that may be. We’ll see. But conversations have been really good, they’ve been productive, and we’ll see what happens here down the road,” said Schoen.
Lawrence did not have a great year statistically. He recorded just 31 tackles and 0.5 sacks, the lowest totals of his career, but he is still considered a vital player on defense. Burns understands his strengths and knows that “business is business,” but reiterated that he prefers Lawrence to play right beside him.
“Business is business,” Burns said to ESPN. “I’ve been through it. … How I feel technically is
that we just need him in the building, regardless of whatever it is. Figure it out. Get it done. I don’t want to see somebody else in that 97 besides Dex. So that’s just my take on it.”RELATED CONTENT: Michael Strahan Competing Against Eli Manning For Ownership Stake Of NY Giants