Why Stephen Jones says contract talks with Cowboys DE DeMarcus Lawrence are at impasse
Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones acknowledged the obvious when he admitted that contract talks with free agent defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence are currently at an impasse.
Dallas placed the franchise tag on Lawrence, guaranteeing him $20.5 million in 2019. But he has no interest in signing the tag.
Lawrence, who played under the tag last season for $17.5 million and responded with a second-straight trip to the Pro Bowl, is seeking a long-term contract extension with Chicago’s Khalil Mack’s six-year, $141 million deal as a guide.
The Cowboys initially offered a deal worth $17 million annually and have come up to roughly $20 million, according to a source.
So right now, the two sides are at an impasse.
“It’s a negotiation. Those things can take time,” Jones said from the NFL owners meeting in Phoenix while echoing the patience of owner Jerry Jones, who said he is not concerned about the slow talks. “At the same time, we’re motivated to get something done and hopefully at some point, we’ll get some momentum going. Right now, the best way to describe it is we’re at an impasse. We’re apart. But certainly optimistic.
“No one thinks more of DeMarcus Lawrence than we do. He represents what we want on our football team in terms of the way he plays the game. He certainly plays it at a high level. We’ll continue to chop wood.”
Jones said they are and have been motivated to get something done for a while now. But they do have a price range they want to stay in.
“We’re motivated to do it right now,” Jones said. “We were motivated to do it before we put the tag on him. At the same time, we have some conviction of the range he should be in terms of his compensation and I’m sure they have some conviction of what they’re asking for. I’m not being critical, but therein lies the root of the negotiations.”
Mack’s contract included $60 million guaranteed at signing with $90 million in total guarantees. He also received a $34 million signing bonus. His deal averages $23.5 million annually.
Denver’s Von Miller is next with a six-year, $114.5 million contract signed on July 15, 2016. Miller received $70 million in total guarantees, $42 million of which was guaranteed upon signing. His deal averages $19.1 million annually.
And then there is Detroit’s Trey Flowers, who recently signed a five-year, $90 million contract. Flowers’ contract has $56 million in total guarantees, including $50 million guaranteed at signing. He received a $28.07 million signing bonus. His deal averages $18 million annually.
The next seven highest-paid pass rushers average between $16 million-$17 million annually with no one getting more than $40 million in full guarantees.
The gap in guarantees from the top guys to the rest of the league and the averages are part of the issue with the Cowboys and Lawrence, Jones said.
“You have the top two guys at the top, and I’m sure that’s why we’re struggling here a little bit,” Jones said. “There’s a delta between the top two guys and where the rest of the edge rushers and pressure players have been paid up to this point.”
Coach Jason Garrett said there is no question the Cowboys value Lawrence and want him back on the team. He is not involved in the negations and wants it to work out as best as possible for both sides
“The goal that I always have in these situations is, let’s make it a win-win,” Garrett said. “We want you to make more money, I think that’s a good thing. The Joneses want you to make more money. But having said that, we want to be part of a team that can compete for a championship. And in doing that, you have to have discipline under the salary cap. We have other guys we have to sign, too. Every dollar that is allocated to one player, by definition, is not available to another player. So you have to prioritize the guys you’re going to spend a lot of money on, but hopefully, you can make those decisions in a way where it’s a win-win — both for the team and the organization, but also the player. That’s the process we’re involved in right now.”
This story was originally published March 26, 2019 at 5:50 PM.
