If the Dallas Cowboys plan on reaching a long-term agreement with defensive lineman DeMarcus Lawrence this offseason, they are going to have to pay through the nose.

According to Calvin Watkins of The Athletic, Lawrence is seeking to make $22.5 million per year, which is a cut above the $20.6 million he will be making if he plays out the 2019 campaign on the franchise tag that the Cowboys placed on him.

Still, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones is optimistic that the two sides will eventually get a deal done:

“Right now, the best way to describe it is we’re at an impasse,” Jones said. “We’re apart. But certainly optimistic. No one thinks more of DeMarcus Lawrence than we do. He represents what we want on our football team, in terms of the way he plays the game. He certainly plays it at a high level. We’ll continue to chop wood.”

Lawrence is coming off of a 2018 campaign in which he registered 64 tackles, 10.5 sacks, an interception, a couple of forced fumbles and a fumble recovery en route to his second straight Pro Bowl appearance.

Article Continues Below
More Dallas Cowboys News
Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa (97) reacts to sacking Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields (not pictured) during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium.
Cowboys’ Osa Odighizuwa talks up new DC Matt EberflusRichard Pereira ·
image thumbnail
Cowboys’ Tyler Guyton makes brutally honest admission on 2024 performanceDouglas Fritz ·
Featured image Brian Schottenheimer
Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer hits Dak Prescott with ‘developmental’ realityDylan Fine ·
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) looks on in the third quarter against the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC wild card game at M&T Bank Stadium.
Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb-George Pickens moment that fired up OTAsDouglas Fritz ·
Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Brian Schottenheimer speaks to the media at a press conference at the Star.
Cowboys’ Brian Schottenheimer gives lineman his flowersDouglas Fritz ·
Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) walks onto the field during the first quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium.
Brian Schottenheimer gives Micah Parsons’ voluntary Cowboys OTAs status updateBen Strauss ·

The 26-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Boise State, was originally selected by Dallas in the second round (34th pick overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft.

He got off to a rather slow start over his first three seasons, but he broke out in 2017, racking up 58 tackles, 14.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and a pair of fumble recoveries, making his first trip to the Pro Bowl.

“We’re going to continue to try to move the ball forward and see if there is some common ground we can find,” Jones said. “I’m certainly not going to draw any lines in the sand, and we haven’t. No bright lines so far. We’ve just been apart. Hopefully, we can continue to come up with some creative ways to maybe create some common ground.”

The Cowboys will continue to make moves during what has an already been a busy offseason.