Demarcus Lawrence is staying in Dallas and making a little history along the way.
The defensive end has agreed to a new three-year, $40 million contract with the Cowboys, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported. Of the $40 million, $30 million is guaranteed, making Lawrence the first defensive end in NFL history to have his contract guaranteed for seven straight seasons, per Pelissero.
When healthy, Lawrence has been a game-wrecking defensive end who the Cowboys have not been afraid to shower with cash in the past. Lawrence has tallied 48.5 sacks in his eight NFL seasons, including 25 sacks between 2017 and 2018. After the 2018 season, Dallas rewarded Lawrence with a five-year deal worth $105 million, but injuries kept Lawrence out of action for the majority of 2021, limiting him to just seven games.
With the Cowboys in a difficult cap situation and plenty of potential candidates for trade or release, Dallas struck a new deal for Lawrence that will guarantee him 75 percent of the total value and likely bring some cap relief to Dallas. Prior to the new deal, Lawrence was scheduled to account for $27 million in cap space, per Over The Cap.
Dallas already cleared significant space by agreeing to trade Amari Cooper to Cleveland, a deal that will become official with the start of the new league year. The Cowboys will avoid losing an important piece in their defense by striking a new deal with Lawrence, who will hope to return to form with a fully healthy season in 2022.
