The Cowboys have a number of big deals they hope to get done this offseason. Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper, Ezekiel Elliott and Byron Jones are among those. But first things first: The Cowboys would like to get DeMarcus Lawrence’s deal finalized.
The team has submitted its first offer, vice president Stephen Jones said Tuesday, and is hoping to make progress on negotiations this week in Indianapolis.
“I don’t know the timing, but I’m very confident we can get a deal done,” Jones said, via Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News.
The defensive end is the top-ranked player on PFT’s top-100 free agents. The Cowboys will franchise him for a second consecutive year if they can’t get a long-term contract completed by March 5.
The $20.56 million franchise tag would buy the Cowboys time to negotiate a long-term deal.
Lawrence, 26, has made 25 sacks and six forced fumbles in the past two seasons.