3 Cowboys stars who could follow Dak Prescott out the door in 2025

2. DeMarcus Lawrence

This one would really sting. DeMarcus Lawrence is on the record saying he wants to be a lifetime Cowboy. Luckily, the terms of his contract make that a possibility, but again nobody would be safe if Dallas embraces a firesale.

Last March, the Cowboys restructured Lawrence's contract, converting most of his $15 million salary into a signing bonus to clear cap space. As a trade off, though, Lawrence will count an extra $4.5 million against the 2024 and 2025 caps.

While Lawrence will count $20 million against the cap this year, he's on the books for just $7.445 million in 2025. The Cowboys could simply extend Lawrence, who had one of his best seasons in 2023. They wouldn't save any money cutting or trading him, but the $7.445 million dead cap charge is doable.

Lawrence is the glue of the locker room and a stud on the field, but how much sense would it make to commit more money to a 32-year-old defensive end after the franchise QB just left? Micah Parsons is clearly ready to carry the torch and Sam Williams might show enough this year to warrant a starting role in 2025.