On Friday afternoon, news broke regarding Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence. After playing the 2018 season under the franchise tag and threatening to hold out for 2019, the Cowboys and Lawrence have come to terms on a new deal.
According to NFL Network’s insider Ian Rapoport, Lawrence and the Cowboys have agreed on a 5-year contract worth over $100 million. While the exact specifics of the deal have yet to be broken down, it’s a very safe bet Lawrence will be making at least $20 million a season. Lawrence has been the anchor on a surprisingly excellent Dallas defense, and this deal ensures he is apart of the plans for the foreseeable future.
Although Lawrence and Cowboys fans everywhere are certainly thrilled with this new deal, Seahawks defensive end Frank Clark is arguably happier, as he is in a similar boat.
The Seahawks applied the franchise tag to Clark in February, who appeared to be content with the situation. However, Clark changed his tune and apparently plans to hold out until the Seahawks offer him a long term extension to his liking.
With 333 combined tackles and 69 sacks between the two of them, they are two of the most impactful young defensive ends in the NFL. Their production is hard to replace and oddly comparable. Clark will certainly see Lawrence’s mega-deal as the starting point in his ongoing negotiations with the Seahawks to land him a similar payday.
This, of course, complicates things for the Seahawks in their already busy offseason, as they are busy negotiating an extension for quarterback Russell Wilson by April 15.
