The Cincinnati Bengals paid a premium to acquire Dexter Lawrence this offseason.
Three months later, the contract attached to their blockbuster trade is beginning to look a lot more favorable.
The latest evidence arrived Tuesday when the Philadelphia Eagles agreed to a record-setting extension with Jalen Carter.
Carter is signing a four-year, $152 million extension worth up to $160 million, including $106 million guaranteed, via ESPN’s report on the agreement. The $38 million average annual value makes Carter the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history.
That announcement immediately drew attention back to Lawrence’s deal in Cincinnati.
“The Bengals getting Dexter Lawrence at $23.3M/year is already a massive steal,” NFL senior writer Marcus Mosher wrote on X after the Carter news.
It’s a striking comparison for a Bengals team that surrendered one of the NFL draft’s most valuable assets to land Lawrence.
Carter Extension Changes the Math on Bengals’ Gamble
GettyPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – AUGUST 7: Jalen Carter #98 of the Philadelphia Eagles reacts against the Cincinnati Bengals in the second half of the NFL Preseason 2025 game at Lincoln Financial Field on August 7, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles defeated the Bengals 34-27. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Cincinnati sent the No. 10 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft to the New York Giants for Lawrence in April.
The Bengals then signed the three-time Pro Bowl selection to a one-year extension that keeps him under contract through 2028.
Lawrence received $28 million in new money on that extension.
Factoring in the two years remaining on his previous agreement, however, Pro Football Talk reported that Cincinnati has Lawrence on a three-year, $70 million contract.
That comes out to approximately $23.3 million per season, the figure Mosher highlighted.
Carter’s new extension averages $38 million annually, creating a gap of roughly $14.7 million per year compared with the total value of Lawrence’s current three-year arrangement.
Even using the $28 million in new money Cincinnati added for 2028, Lawrence’s extension figure sits $10 million below Carter’s annual average.
There are reasons for that difference.
Carter is 25 and entering his fourth NFL season, while Lawrence turns 29 in November. Carter has also made consecutive Pro Bowls and earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2024.
Nevertheless, Cincinnati secured its deal before another elite interior defender pushed the market closer to $40 million per season.
The draft capital is part of the equation, as the Bengals gave up a top-10 selection rather than betting on a younger, cheaper prospect.
But the contract itself is already aging differently than it appeared in April.
Lawrence Gives Bengals High-End Value on Defensive Line
GettyEAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – OCTOBER 09: Dexter Lawrence #97 of the New York Giants celebrates during the first quarter of the game at MetLife Stadium on October 09, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
Lawrence’s 2025 season also helped Cincinnati land him without having to match the top of the market.
He finished with 31 tackles and half a sack after recording a career-high nine sacks in 2024. His pressure rate dropped from 9.6% to 5.9%, according to ESPN’s analysis of the trade.
The league’s evaluation of Lawrence is more sturdy than those numbers suggest.
ESPN’s annual survey of NFL executives, coaches and scouts ranked Lawrence seventh among defensive tackles entering 2026, one year after he occupied the No. 1 spot.
His ability to command additional blockers has long been central to his value, and his 2024 season included a 74.5% double-team rate, the highest among interior defensive linemen, per ESPN’s 2025 positional rankings.
The Bengals acquired a player with 341 tackles, 30.5 sacks and 40 tackles for loss across his first seven seasons. He also earned three consecutive Pro Bowl selections from 2022 through 2024 and twice made the AP All-Pro second team, according to Cincinnati’s announcement of the trade.
The No. 10 overall pick will still define the risk of the deal. But with the defensive tackle market climbing, Lawrence’s contract is already making the Bengals’ gamble look better.
If he returns to peak form, Cincinnati may have bought high-end production before the price went even higher.
Cincinnati Bengals’ Dexter Lawrence Deal Called a ‘Steal’ After Record-Breaking Extension