DeMarcus Lawrence is no stranger to contract negotiations with the Dallas Cowboys.
While Lawrence is shifting focus to his new chapter in Seattle, the former Cowboys defensive end recently shared a few thoughts on the “shaky situation” unfolding between Micah Parsons and the Dallas franchise. It’s been a whirlwind preseason for Parsons, who’s still seeking a lucrative extension and requested a trade earlier this month.
“You have an owner on one hand that’s basically asking him to go prove it and play another year. But, you’ve got a young star on the other hand that’s like, ‘I already proved enough to you. You’ve got to pay me my money,’” Lawrence said on an episode of The Pivot Podcast. “It’s really hard to speak on it because with my situation, Jerry [Jones] franchise tagged me the first time.”
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Lawrence then retold his experience playing under the franchise tag in Dallas. The Cowboys first placed the tag on Lawrence going into the 2018 season, meaning he was paid $17.1 million for that campaign. He was tagged again in March 2019 before agreeing to a mega deal with the Cowboys about a month later.
Lawrence said he didn’t view the franchise tag designation in a negative light since it was like “double-dipping” for him. He felt he would get the long-term deal after proving himself under the tag.
“I don’t know what was said behind closed doors with their situation,” Lawrence said. “I can’t just say, ‘Pay that man.’ Or, ‘Don’t pay that man.’ That’s their business.”
Parsons is still under contract in Dallas for the 2025 season, and is set to make just over $21.324 million this year. In an interview with Michael Irvin, Jones recently indicated that the Cowboys would be willing to use the franchise tag on Parsons in the future.
“We really have three years to work this out,” Jones said.
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