Dallas Cowboys: How much will it cost to re-sign DeMarcus Lawrence?

The Dallas Cowboys will have to pay a steep price if they want to sign free agent DeMarcus Lawrence to a long term deal. But how much might that be?

One of the most trending topics surrounding the Dallas Cowboys is the future of DeMarcus Lawrence. The 25-year old defensive end exploded in 2017, racking up 58 combined tackles and 14.5 sacks. That sack total was tied for the second most in the NFL last year.

Luckily for Lawrence, he had his best season in the final year of his rookie deal. That means there will be a big pay day for the young pass rusher this offseason. And that fact might be one of the sticking points if Dallas does indeed ink Lawrence to a long-term deal in the coming weeks.

Last season, Lawrence recorded just 11 total tackles and a single sack in nine games. His severe lack of production in 2016 was due to a four-game suspension for substance abuse and offseason back surgery that left him unable to even bend over at times.

In fact, in Lawrence’s first three seasons as a pro, he posted a total of 75 combined tackles and 9.0 sacks. His rookie year was cut in half due to a foot injury, although he posted 2.0 sacks in two playoff games that season. In his sophomore campaign, D-Law racked up 8.0 sacks after making a position change from right defensive end to the left side of the line.

Somewhat ignoring his first three seasons, the Cowboys seem content on paying Lawrence to remain in Dallas for the foreseeable future. And according to his agent, David Canter, they believe the Cowboys will sign DeMarcus well before free agency kicks off in mid-March. The two sides are scheduled to meet in late February at the NFL Scouting Combine, that according to ESPN.com.

So how much might the Dallas Cowboys have to fork over in order to retain DeMarcus Lawrence’s services?

Well, last offseason, at the age of 28, the New York Giants signed defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul to a four-year, $62 million contract. The year before that, the Giants inked 25-year old pass rusher Olivier Vernon to a five-year, $85 million contract, with a whopping $52 million guaranteed.

If Lawrence gets a similar contract to Vernon, you are looking at somewhere around $17 million a season. Considering his lack of production prior to 2017 and those two back surgeries, the Cowboys maybe be able to get something closer to Pierre-Paul’s contract, which would be around $15.5 per season on average.

Both Vernon and Pierre-Paul were the highest paid 4-3 defensive ends in the NFL in 2017. There’s little doubt DeMarcus Lawrence will soon be joining them very soon. Even if it’s just on the franchise tag.

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Last season, it cost NFL teams $16.9 million to use the franchise tag on defensive end, which was much more expensive than the $15.7 million it was the year before. We could see another increase in 2018.