Forget building.
Dexter Lawrence thinks the Giants have a finished product.
Lord knows, the fan base has suffered enough.
So has the defensive tackle, who dealt with three losing seasons before he finally got to partake of the playoffs last season.
So, excuse his impatience.
“I don’t want to talk about building,” Lawrence said following practice Thursday. “It’s more about doing at this point. Going into my fifth season, I hate losing. So I’m done. I really don’t want to talk about building.
“I want to talk about, what are we doing today to get better for tomorrow? And then that day leads into the season? Know what I mean? I can talk about building, whatever, but our mindset is winning.”
Lawrence is one of three players, along with left tackle Andrew Thomas and quarterback Daniel Jones, the front office signed to major contract extensions this offseason.
Lawrence’s deal, which kicks in next season, runs for four years at $60 million guaranteed and could be worth $90 million, making him one of the highest-paid defensive tackles in the league.
Thomas, who inked a five-year extension that will keep him under contract through 2029 at $67 million guaranteed, and Jones, who signed through 2026 at $82 million guaranteed, are part of the long-term core at the Meadowlands as well.
Giants for life, if things go according to plan.
And that plan does include some winning, with the 9-7-1 regular-season mark last year and a wild-card playoff victory over the Vikings the appetizer.
“Just shows the belief the organization has in us,” Lawrence said. “And the hard work that we put in to earn that. And I’m excited, ’cause things like that build confidence into a person. The more confidence we have, the better the team will be.”
Lawrence made a career-best 7.5 sacks last season and earned his first Pro Bowl nod.
That helped lead to winning, which helped lead to the Giants making a commitment to him.
“It’s amazing,” wideout Darius Slayton said of the money being handed out. “ ’Cause like everyone says, it’s a tough place to play. When it’s not going well, everybody sucks. So it’s good to be on the other side of that.
“Obviously, we were able to win some games last year and guys were able to perform at a high level, and they’re starting to get rewards for the fruits of their labor. For me, it’s like, you see all the hours of off-time, the time they put in the film room and the weight room out there by themselves. Seeing that pay off for guys is awesome.”
The other thing about New York sports: Expectations rise in proportion to success.
While every win last season represented a step forward, every loss this year will be looked at as a step backward.
The goal is not to gain some respect, but to build on the Giants’ first winning season since 2016.
And, yes, to challenge the Cowboys and Eagles for divisional supremacy after they lost all four games against the rival clubs last season.
“Last year, we lost to them both,” Lawrence said. “This season, it’s just to train day by day to improve. … It’s all about progressing each day. Each day and those days stack up until you build something beautiful and it shines on Sundays or Mondays or Thursdays or Saturdays. Whenever they wanna give us a game.”
And, as Lawrence said, the pieces are already in place.
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