Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones, like his father, Jerry, is confident of getting a long-term deal done with DeMarcus Lawrence. But Stephen Jones admits the sides remain far apart in negotiations.
“Historically, we’ve been able to sign our players,” Stephen Jones said, via David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. “We’ll see. It’s a negotiation. Those things can take time. At the same time, we’re motivated to get something done and hopefully at some point we’ll get some momentum going.
“Right now, the best way to describe it is we’re at an impasse. We’re apart but certainly optimistic.”
Khalil Mack averages $23.5 million a season to lead all pass rushers, with Von Miller coming in second at $19.1 million per season. Defensive end Trey Flowers left New England to sign a five-year, $90 million deal with Detroit, ranking him third in annual average.
“The top two guys, I’m sure that is why we’re struggling a little bit,” Jones said. “There is a delta between the top two guys and where the rest of the edge rushers and pressure players have been paid up to this point.
“We’re motivated to do it right now. We were motivated to do it before we put the tag on him. At the same time, we have some conviction of the range he should be in in terms of his compensation, and I’m sure they have some conviction of what they’re asking for. I’m not being critical, but therein lies the root of the negotiations.’'
The Cowboys used the franchise tag on Lawrence 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.
It sounds as if a deal might not happen anytime soon.