Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence didn’t waste any time signing the franchise tag he got from the Cowboys in March and he’s been with the team this offseason rather than following the path of others who have stayed away from their teams in hopes of getting a long-term deal.
Lawrence could still get such a deal this offseason, but said Wednesday that he’s not losing sleep about the prospect of going into the 2018 season without anything in place for the years to come.
“It really doesn’t matter,” Lawrence said, via the Dallas Morning News. “If I do my thing, I put up my stats and I help my team win, they ain’t got no choice but to sign me. That’s how I feel.”
Dallas could use another franchise tag on Lawrence, although the price tag would be over $20 million given his $17.1 million salary for this season and a long-term deal would likely make more sense from a cap perspective. Whether it’s the Cowboys or someone else, Lawrence is right that something like his 15-sack 2017 season will set him up quite well come the 2019 offseason.