The second word got out that Dexter Lawrence—Clemson’s own unstoppable force—wanted out of New York, the NFL sharks started circling. Everybody wants a piece of the Tiger legend.
While the Giants keep dragging their feet on locking down the most dominant interior lineman in football, the Bengals are wasting no time making their pitch. Orlando Brown Jr. is already rolling out the orange-and-black carpet for Big Dex. On the Up & Adams show, the four-time Pro Bowler made it clear: he wants the "Power Ranger" legend wreaking havoc in Cincinnati.
Hey Bengals... it's time to make a BIG splash and trade for DT Dexter Lawrence@heykayadams pic.twitter.com/4pYNe3jWaD
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) April 13, 2026
“Dexter Lawrence is a baller,” Brown said. “I think he’d be even more of a baller in orange and black. I don’t know how that kind of stuff goes, necessarily. I don’t have all the answers.”
A ‘Special Talent’ in Demand
Lawrence’s trade request, which hit the news on April 6, is all about getting the deal he’s earned after two offseasons of the Giants dragging things out. He’s skipping voluntary workouts to send a message: pay up or watch him dominate somewhere else. And as Orlando Brown Jr. said, any team would be lucky to land a 340-pound wrecking ball like Dexter.
“I think it’d be great. He definitely would make our football team better,” Brown told Adams. “And to be honest, it’s not a lot of teams he wouldn’t make better, man. He’s a special talent. You see him right here on some of these highlights. He’s a baller, man, and I’ve got a ton of respect for him and his game.”
Even Kay Adams is banging the drum, telling the Bengals to use their top-10 cap space and go get the two-time All-Pro. She knows what Tiger Nation already does: Dexter Lawrence changes everything.
“This Dexter Lawrence situation — nothing else has really happened, and it’s still up in the air somehow,” Adams said. “So here’s what I understand — he demanded a trade last week. If the Giants are actually going to deal him, can we get Orlando Brown to play the agent and make it happen? Because Bengals, this could be your chance to make a move.”
Adams continued, noting the financial feasibility: “They still have $20 million in cap space this year. They’re top 10 in projected cap space next year. Now is the time to use it, especially since you’ve got to think they can land [Lawrence] without giving up a first-round pick. There’s no better use for that cap space than on a guy who has consistently been one of the best — if not the best — interior defensive linemen in the league for like five years over.”
Big Blue’s Business Decision
Some critics want to call 2025 a "down" year for Lawrence, but let’s be real: 31 tackles and a 37-yard pick for a big man is no slump. Before his elbow injury in 2024, he was a Pro Bowler three years running and the heart and soul of the Giants’ defense. That’s the kind of impact only a Clemson Tiger brings.
New York’s new head coach John Harbaugh knows what’s at stake and says he hopes the Tigers great sticks around in New Jersey.
“We’ll find out, you know. I think the prospects are going to be high,” Harbaugh said. “Because, speaking for the Giants, we want Dexter here, and I believe Dexter wants to be here. That’s a good formula. But there’s business involved. It’s a business proposition. We know it’s pro football. These things happen every year, pretty much on every team.”
Harbaugh admitted he wasn't blind-sided by the trade request. “So, not surprised by it. I saw it coming a few weeks back probably. Had good conversations with Dexter’s agent Joel Segal, and understood what they were thinking. This is where we’re at, so we’ll try to work through it and see what we can get done.”
No matter if Dexter stays in New York or takes his talents to Cincinnati, Tiger fans everywhere will be watching. Whoever lands him isn’t just getting a "baller"—they’re getting a generational winner, straight out of Clemson.
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