Dexter Lawrence signed his four-year, $90 million contract extension Friday, putting him behind only Aaron Donald and Jeffery Simmons among defensive tackles in annual average.
Lawrence said he wasn’t “trying to set records” with the contract. He was just “trying to be respected.”
The contract does that in the short term, but statistics, All-Pros, Pro Bowls and championships mean more.
“My ultimate goal is to be legendary, to be a Hall of Famer,” Lawrence said, via a transcript from the team. “I got drafted. That’s one step. OK, let’s have a good rookie year. Let’s not make the same mistakes the next year. Let’s keep building until you get to where you’re at, and I’m not where I’m at now, where I want to be. I think it’s just a constant growth, as a person honestly and then as a player.”
Lawrence had a career-best season in 2022, with career highs in sacks (7.5), tackles (68) and quarterback hits (28). But he is a long way from the Hall of Fame.
In four seasons, he has never earned first-team All-Pro and has only one Pro Bowl. He has 16.5 career sacks.
Donald, a future Hall of Famer, had 39 sacks, four Pro Bowls, three All-Pros, a defensive rookie of the year and a defensive player of the year honor his first four seasons. Simmons has 21 sacks and two Pro Bowls in his first four seasons.
“I feel like I’m definitely up there [with the best defensive tackles in the league],” Lawrence said. “I have a lot more to go. I missed a lot of plays last year that I know I can get, and it eats at me a lot. Right now, it’s just continuing to master my craft and finishing on plays that I could have made last year.
“Comparing myself between everybody, I’m not really that type of guy. I just know my standard for myself, and I know what I can do and what I can produce.”