The Cowboys do not have a contract extension with DeMarcus Lawrence yet. In fact, the sides remain “far apart in negotiations,” according to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
The Cowboys, though, always manage to get the deals done they want to get done. Some are just more difficult than others.
Dez Bryant’s five-year, $70 million deal came down to the 11th hour in 2015 after the team franchised him, and Emmitt Smith missed two games in contract holdout in 1993 before signing a four-year, $13.6 million deal.
So color Jerry Jones as unconcerned that Lawrence remains without a new deal, with the owner holding expectations of getting one done eventually.
“This has gone on as far back for me, notably, with Emmitt Smith,” Jones said. “Any of you that know my relationship with Emmitt Smith today know that that’s a memory we smile about the way we are 20 something years later and we’re in business together. That’s just the part of the business. The main thing I don’t want to be is cavalier. This is a significant thing for not only our franchise but DeMarcus’ life. It would make anyone be very, very judicious as they are working through the terms of this agreement. So the fact we don’t have something done today is not inordinate when you look at the things that are at stake here.”
Lawrence isn’t going anywhere, with the Cowboys using the franchise tag on him for a second consecutive season. But Lawrence has no plans to sign the $20.5 million tag for 2019 and has postponed shoulder surgery until a deal is done.
“They’re all points to consider and they cause you to give and take,” Jones said. “Again, those are considerations. It’s a misnomer to call them concerns. It’s a misnomer to sound frivolous or trivial about it. Every point has to ultimately be agreed to before you can agree to go forward for several years for the kinds of dollars we’re talking about right there. This is just not anything I haven’t been involved in hundreds of times.”