The moment the report of New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence asking for a trade surfaced, the Chicago Bears surfaced as a potential suitor. A big part, if not the entirety, of his desire to be moved is rooted in wanting a new contract, since he is now outside the top 10 highest-paid defensive tackles in the league.
Of course, the Bears are up against the salary cap right now, to the point that they need to make some changes just to be able to sign their entire upcoming draft class. But they have paths to creating big chunks of cap space via contract restructurings, etc., and some of those moves are certainly coming regardless of any big move on the table.
The latest news around Lawrence and the Giants, via NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, is that the two sides are at an "impasse" regarding a contract extension. With that, the Giants have engaged teams in trade talks and, per Rapoport, "it should come to a head before the draft."
Channeling any subsequent eye ball emojis or other reactions to Rapoport's report from Bears' fans, ESPN NFL Draft analyst Matt Miller summed up the sentiment, tweeting "Bears, anyone?"
Bears insider tries to harsh everyone's buzz about a Dexter Lawrence trade
To the extent they were serious, the Bears' involvement in trade talks regarding Maxx Crosby shows the idea of a big offseason move cannot be dismissed. A big contract, or someone's desire for one, won't necessarily be an impediment to getting what, at this point, would be a trade done.
Appearing on 104.3 The Score's "Mully and Haugh," with the most recent news about Lawrence reviving the idea that the Bears could trade for him, Dan Wiederer of The Athletic put the kibosh on it.
"Did you guys figure out a way to increase the salary cap for the Bears to really seriously consider that?"
Co-host Mike Mulligan noted how the Bears can make some moves that would clear cap space to make a trade for Lawrence happen, and co-host David Haugh general backed that sentiment mixing aggressiveness and creativity if the Bears wanted to work it out.
Of course, there are other considerations when it comes to a potential trade involving Lawrence. He is entering his age-29 season and is looking to get paid, as talks with the Giants about improving his deal have entered a third offseason. He's also coming off a down season based on surface statistics, which could indicate a full-on decline is lurking.
Read more: 5 Chicago Bears players who are playing for a contract in 2026
Trading for Lawrence will require some maneuvering of money to make room for him, but that's been known from the start. Wiederer's attempt to say the Bears would need an increase in the salary cap to make it work is a quotable oversimplification, when he probably should've just said he doesn't think the Bears would (or should) do it.
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