Getty Dallas Cowboys pass-rusher DeMarcus Lawrence.
While NFL teams deal with forking over massive contracts to their star players and navigate holdouts in the process, the Dallas Cowboys are facing the exact opposite. Exceptional pass-rusher DeMarcus Lawrence was unable to come to terms with the Cowboys on a contract extension this offseason and instead will play under the franchise tag.
Fortunately, it seems Lawrence isn’t overly upset about it. As he recently told Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News, he believes in the Cowboys organization and knows things will work out one way or the other.
DeMarcus Lawrence on playing on the franchise tag this season: “I believe in the Cowboys organization and the Jones family. If they want me here they will keep me here. If they don’t then they’ll let me go. … I’m just being patient and waiting on my turn.”
It’s refreshing to see a talented NFL player taking this approach after seeing holdouts dominate the headlines in a big way this offseason. Two of the top defensive linemen in the NFL in Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack both held out, although the two situations ended quite a bit differently.
The Los Angeles Rams and Donald came to terms on a six-year, $135 million contract extension. For Mack, though, the Oakland Raiders opted not to pay him, and instead traded him to the Chicago Bears in a blockbuster deal. Shortly after the trade, Mack one-upped Donald’s contract by signing his own extension worth $141 million over six years.
With Lawrence now set to play the 2018 season under the franchise tag, he’ll make $17.143 million, per Spotrac. The former second-round pick had an exceptional 2017 season, totaling 58 combined tackles, five for loss, 14.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. It’s a safe bet that if the Cowboys choose not to pay him next offseason, there’ll be plenty of other NFL teams interested in doing so.