DeMarcus Lawrence isn’t concerned about contract talk

DeMarcus Lawrence is putting himself in position for a nice payday this offseason.

Lawrence picked the right time to rack up the sacks in his contract year, and is leading the NFL with 8.5 sacks. But the Dallas Cowboys top pass rusher isn’t concerned on his contract status.

At least not publicly.

“We'll talk about that when the time comes," Lawrence said on Thursday. “I'm just going to keep racking up my numbers, and we've just got to get the job done as a team. If the team wins, we all win. That's the main thing.”

Lawrence, 25, said that he would “love to be a Cowboy for the rest of my life.” But it remains to be seen whether that will ultimately happen.

The Cowboys, who play at San Francisco on Sunday, could use the franchise or transition tag on Lawrence to secure his services for the 2018 season, or try to lock him up to a longer term deal in the off-season.

Either way, Lawrence is in line to get paid if he continues doing what he’s doing. Lawrence is looking to become the Cowboys’ first pass rusher with double-digit sacks since Jason Hatcher had 11 in 2013.

Lawrence already has set his career high in a comeback season. He had only one sack last season, missing the first four games for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy. He also battled back injuries much of the season.

Lawrence underwent back surgery last off-season for the second time in as many years. He continues to credit his early success with simply being healthy. The contract talk will come eventually.

“Like I said, that contract talk, I ain't worried about that,” Lawrence said. “I'm worried about getting my job done and making sure we come out with the W.”

This story was originally published October 20, 2017 at 12:49 PM with the headline "DeMarcus Lawrence isn’t concerned about contract talk."