If it wasn’t already clear, it should be clear now. Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence will be a Cowboy in 2018.
Appearing at the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award event on Thursday night, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said (via David Helman of DallasCowboys.com), “We won’t let [Lawrence] not be a Dallas Cowboy next year. We’ll do everything he can to make something work, and if we don’t get it done then we’ll franchise him. Then we’ll go back to work. We’d like to not have that franchise tag hanging out there. We’ve got a big negotiation ahead of us. Be we don’t want DeMarcus Lawrence going anywhere.”
If it’s true that Lawrence wants a long-term deal that averages $17 million per year, it should be easy to get something done. The franchise tag will be north of that amount for 2018, and he’d be entitled to a 20-percent raise for 2019. If they could sign him right now to a five-year, $85 million deal with $34 million fully guaranteed at signing, the Cowboys should immediately type it up.
Indeed, if the franchise tag for defensive ends climbs as high as $18 million for 2018, the Cowboys would pay out $39.6 million over two years under the tag -- and Lawrence would then walk away in 2020.