Bengals outbid Bears for $28 million Giants three-time Pro Bowl defender, per report originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

While there were several teams interested in trading for the New York Giants’ three-time Pro Bowl defender once New York made him available, the Cincinnati Bengals ultimately finished first in the sweepstakes (they acquired him last week by sending the No. 10 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to New York).

The Chicago Bears were among the franchises vying for the two-time All-Pro defensive tackle's services, but their trade offer didn’t measure up to the Bengals’.

“(Dexter) Lawrence's trade was a big missed opportunity for the Bears, who were one of the teams rumored to be interested in the former All-Pro, but Cincinnati's offer was too good for New York to pass up,” Bears Wire’s Mike Pendleton reported Friday.

“This week, it was revealed that the Bears reportedly were willing to offer the No. 25 pick in exchange for Lawrence, according to NFL Insider Tony Pauline.”

Essentially, both the Bengals and Bears were willing to surrender a first-round pick to land Lawrence and bolster their respective run/pass defenses.

However, with Cincinnati offering New York a top-10 pick, which surprised many, the Giants felt they had no choice but to do business with the Super Bowl-less AFC franchise.

While Pendleton’s report may sting for a bit, the Bears should continue to identify defensive contributors that could help them flip the script in 2026-27 (they ranked toward the bottom of the league in points allowed per game and opponents' yards per game last season).

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