At the top of the list for the Dallas Cowboys this offseason is getting rising star defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence under a new deal. There is an expectation that the front office will place the franchise tag on their prized asset at some point in the next couple of weeks unless that big contract comes to fruition.
Things have yet to truly pick up on that front from the team's end since the franchise tag became available to use on February 20th. However, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones recently made it clear that the organization is set on bringing back Lawrence next season by using the franchise tag if a long-term deal isn't worked out, according to Rob Phillips of DallasCowboys.com.
We won’t let D-Law not be a Dallas Cowboy next year,” Jones said at the inaugural Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award ceremony. “We’ll do everything we can to try to make something work, and if we don’t get it done then we’ll franchise him. Then we’ll go back to work.”
At this point, the only aspect that is clear about the situation is that the 25-year-old is looking to receive a deal with an annual salary of at least $17 million, which would put him around the same contract that defensive end Olivier Vernon got from the New York Giants a couple of offseasons ago.
There doesn't appear to be any rush from the Cowboys to get a deal done now, as the team has until March 6th to place the franchise tag, and after that designation is placed on him, there is an additional deadline on July 16 for a long-term deal being worked out. It is in the best interest of both sides to get a new extension in place before next month's deadline, but the sense of urgency isn't there just yet.
Lawrence has made a strong case for a significant pay raise after putting together a breakout year, posting a career-high 14.5 sacks to earn him his first Pro Bowl selection and an All-Pro Second Team nod.
He was tied for second in the league in sacks, and his 79 total pressures were the third-most in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. He is also just the third player in franchise history to record at least 14.0 sacks in a single season, joining DeMarcus Ware and Jim Jeffcoat.
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