On Monday, a major name popped up on the radar of Minnesota Vikings fans after it was revealed that talented New York Giants defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence has reportedly requested a trade, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Lawrence has long been a player Vikings fans have dreamt about their favorite team acquiring, and that desire is only going to grow after they see what Yahoo Sports wrote after Monday's news.
Following Lawrence's reported trade request, Yahoo Sports listed several potential destinations around the NFL where the Pro Bowl defender could land, and yes, Minnesota was among the teams included.
They believe Lawrence would fill the void left by two notable Vikings defensive departures this offseason.
"The Vikings need help on the interior of their defensive line after releasing Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen this offseason, and a gap-shooting space-eater like Lawrence in the middle could really help unspool all the funky disguises and blitzes returning defensive coordinator Brian Flores likes to deploy.
Plus, one knock (however slight) on the Vikings’ recent defenses is there hasn’t been a true star you can set your clock to. Lawrence certainly qualifies.
This would be a big swing for de facto general manager Rob Brzezinski, and landing Lawrence could go a long way toward him sealing up the permanent gig for a team with designs on contending in the NFC."
Could the Minnesota Vikings realistically trade for New York Giants DL Dexter Lawrence?
In Schefter's report, he shared that Lawrence's trade request is basically the result of the defensive lineman and the Giants not being able to agree on a new contract that would give him a pay boost.
So, whatever team wants to acquire him, a deal will likely only be completed if they can also agree to give Lawrence the money he wants.
Currently, he still has two years left on his contract with New York, and if he were to be traded, he would have a 2026 cap hit of $20 million with his new team. That 2026 cap hit can, of course, be reduced with a new contract, but it probably wouldn't lower it that much.
Right now, the Vikings have just under $5 million in cap space, according to OverTheCap.com. Obviously, Minnesota would have to do some major salary cap gymnastics to be able to afford the 28-year-old defensive lineman, and that would be on top of whatever draft compensation they would have to send to the Giants to acquire him.
According to ESPN's Jordan Raanan on Monday, most around the NFL believe it would take a "late first-round pick to second-rounder" to get New York to trade Lawrence.
Would the Vikings be okay with giving up something like that to acquire him in addition to giving him a lucrative new contract?
With the mostly quiet approach Minnesota has taken this offseason under de facto general manager Rob Brzezinski, a trade for Lawrence in the near future doesn't seem too likely.
This doesn't mean it should be ruled out, but the chances, at this point in time, don't seem very high.