The Dallas Cowboys trying to keep their defensive line together has been one of the key storylines so far this offseason. Dallas took the first step in doing that by re-signing Osa Odighizuwa to a four-year, $80 million contract last week. Their next major signing needs to be locking star edge rusher Micah Parsons.
That said, the Cowboys also had a few veteran defensive linemen set to be free agents as of Monday, including defensive tackle Chauncey Golston and defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence. Golston quickly signed a three-year $19.5 million deal with the division rival New York Giants. While
Lawrence remained a free agent, leaving a Dallas return a slight possibility.
However, Lawrence's wait for a new home ended on Wednesday when he signed with an NFC foe. According to Tom Pelissero, Lawrence signed a three-year deal worth up to $42 million with the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle dishing out that much cash for a 32-year-old defensive end coming off an injury is a massive risk.
Four-time Pro Bowl DE DeMarcus Lawrence is signing a three-year deal worth up to $42 million with the #Seahawks, his agents @davidcanter and @nessmugrabi of @aurasportsgroup tell The Insiders. He gets $18M guaranteed. pic.twitter.com/wVBA6PIfBn
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 12, 2025
Seahawks Hand Risky Contract to DeMarcus Lawrence
During the 2022 offseason, Lawrence signed a three-year extension worth $40 million to stay in Dallas. At the time, that seemed like a decent deal, although he would be well past 30 years old when it expired. In the first two seasons of that extension, Lawrence recorded 10 sacks, 103 QB pressures, 13 QB hits, and 80 QB hurries.
Furthermore, he finished the 2022 season with an overall grade of 78.1 and the 2023 season with an overall grade of 91.3, placing him in the top 32 of edge rushers, according to PFF. Unfortunately,
Lawrence spent the majority of the 2024 season out due to a foot injury he suffered in Week 4.
Prior to his injury, the 32-year-old recorded 14 tackles, seven tackles for loss, three sacks, and one forced fumble. Even though those stats look good on the surface, the advanced stats tell a different story. According to PFF, Lawrence recorded nine pressures, two QB hits, and three QB hurries in four games. Although the pressures seem like a decent number, they came across only two games: Week 1(7) and Week 4 (2).
Those performances netted Lawrence a pass rush grade of 53.9 and a run defense grade of 62.4. Despite what seemed to be the start of Lawrence's decline in play last season, Seattle decided to give him a lucrative contract.
If Lawrence's play continues to trend downward as it did before the injury, the Cowboys dodged a massive bullet by opting to let him walk.