The New York Giants signed nose tackle Dexter Lawrence to a four-year, $90 million contract extension last week, making him the third-highest-paid defensive lineman in football.
It was the latest in a long line of goals for Lawrence, who always desired to remain in East Rutherford.
“I was like, ‘I want to play here, I want to be a Giant,’ through the whole process. We have something going here, we’re building something special, and you can see it from the outside and inside it’s even more beautiful,” Lawrence told reporters.
Next up on Lawrence’s to-do list is to buy a lake house. With his new contract, that should come relatively easily. So what’s after that?
“I got drafted. That’s one step. Let’s have a good rookie year. Let’s not make the same mistakes the next year,” Lawrence said, reflecting on his long-term goals. “Let’s keep building until you get to where you’re at, and I’m not where I’m at now, where I want to be. I think it’s just a constant growth, as a person honestly and then as a player.”
And the end game is exactly what Giants fans will love to hear.
Lawrence not only wants to win a championship in New York, he wants his professional career to close out in Canton, Ohio at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“My ultimate goal is to be legendary, to be a Hall of Famer,” Lawrence said. “I want to be a Hall of Famer.”
If Lawrence continues to improve — something that’s hard to imagine after his complete dominance in 2022 — there’s little doubt he’ll ultimately get his wish.
His defensive coordinator, Wink Martindale, can certainly see that end.
“I wouldn’t put anything past him,” Martindale told Steve Serby of the New York Post. “There’s a lot of work to be done, but I think that any goal that he has, I think that’s great that he’s talking about that.”
Martindale doesn’t believe there’s a ceiling for Lawrence, who has begun to establish himself as one of the NFL’s truly elite. And so long as he can remain healthy, there’s no reason to believe that Sexy Dexy won’t one day have his bust enshrined in Canton.
