The New York Giants hit an impasse in talks with Dexter Lawrence, fueling speculation that Big Blue will inevitably trade their big man. That would be rough news to take for pass rusher Brian Burns.
“Speaking for me, the Giants ain’t the Giants without No. 97 in the middle,” Burns told Ryan Dunleavy of The New York Post. “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.”
Burns is coming off a 16.5 sack season, earning his third Pro Bowl and first second-team All-Pro selection. A chunk of that production came with the help of Lawrence eating up blocks in the middle. The Giants’ pass rush was significantly worse when Lawrence left the field.
With a trade request coming after extension talks went nowhere, Lawrnece has skipped voluntary workouts. His absence is noticeable, according to Burns.
“Dex is a huge locker-room presence,” Burns told Dunleavy. “It’s been a little weird without him here and knowing the uncertainty of the business of what he’s going through. It would be a huge loss to lose him. He’s a vocal leader. A lot of guys look up to him. Hell, I look up to him at times. You don’t ever want to lose a guy like that.”
Burns has intimate knowledge of what Lawrence is currently going through. This situation isn’t unlike what the one Burns dealt with in Carolina before he was traded to New York and given a massive new deal in 2024.
“I’ve been there, I understand the nature of the business and how things can get,” Burns said. “What I would tell Dex, what I leaned on when I was going through it, is my faith and allowing whatever happens to happen.”
Burns hopes that what happens is a contract that keeps Lawrence happy and in New York. However, that hope is fading quickly.
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