The Dallas Cowboys plan to place the franchise tag on star defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, sources tell the Star-Telegram.
However, do not expect Lawrence to agree to the tag, to have shoulder surgery, or attend any of the OTAs or other offseason workouts until a long deal is agreed to.
The 2019 franchise tag of $20.5 million is the floor. Chicago Bears defensive end Khalil Mack's 6-year, $141 million contract that includes a $34 million signing bonus, $90 million guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $23.5 million is the ceiling.
By placing the franchise tag on Lawrence ahead of the Tuesday deadline this allows the Cowboys more time to negotiate a deal with their prized DE and to keep him off the market in the interim.
Lawrence is the Cowboys' top priority as he is an unrestricted free agent. He recorded 64 tackles (42 solo), 15 tackles-for-loss, 10.5 sacks, and 23 quarterback hurries in 2018. In 2017, he recorded 58 tackles (35 solo), 14 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, and 26 QB hurries.
The truth is there is little hope of bridging the gap on a deal that should be easy to do, as of now, if the Cowboys truly want to get something done.
Meet in the middle and get it done.
"It certainly was complete and everybody got to say what they wanted to say," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said when asked about the negotiations with Lawrence. "On things like this you really don't know how good they were until you get it done or make a different decision. It's just not accurate to say because it implies a certain amount of tangible things that you could agree on something but if you agree on something else in a different way you change that something you agreed on 20 minutes before. So the thing has to end up totally being a whole deal to have an agreement. I'm not trying to arm wave here but I just think that we're in it and everybody and he certainly has every incentive to get an agreement done and we do too."
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