The Cowboys spent the 2017 offseason talking about finding their “war daddy” pass-rusher. As it turned out, he already was on their roster.
DeMarcus Lawrence’s 14.5 sacks tied him for second in the NFL behind Chandler Jones and were 5.5 more than he had in his first three seasons combined. The Cowboys had not had a double-digit sacks leader since Jason Hatcher in 2013.
Now, the Cowboys have to figure out how to keep Lawrence as he is scheduled to become a free agent in the offseason. Lawrence, who made $5.5 million in his rookie contract, expects to remain in Dallas somehow, someway.
“I already know what my situation is,” Lawrence said, via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I don’t really care about it because I know how the Cowboys feel about me and they know how I feel about the organization. My agent is going to take care of everything, and he knows how everyone feels.
“I know I’m not going anywhere.”
The Cowboys chose not to discuss a new contract with Lawrence in the offseason since he was coming off a second back surgery. It will cost them more now.
The Cowboys can franchise him, which would cost them roughly $17.4 million next season, but they would prefer to sign him to a long-term deal.
“I can’t tell you if they’re going to put a tag on me,” Lawrence, 25, said. “We’re just going to let the chips fall where they may. I don’t have time sit here and think about. I’m trying to figure out whether I’m going to Jamaica or Hawaii.”