DeMarcus Lawrence Talks on His Cowboys' Decision

FRISCO - The early portion of this offseason's negotiations with DeMarcus Lawrence did not go well. The Cowboys' opening proposals to the standout defensive end as they tried to persuade him to re-do his contract in a more cap-friendly way could've been viewed as an insulting deal-breaker.

Just like Dallas' final offer to the other defensive end, Randy Gregory, was viewed - which is why Gregory is now a member of the Denver Broncos.

"It was a shock to me," Lawrence said of the unraveling of the Gregory deal, which now includes Gregory blasting Dallas' "toxic fan base.'' "I heard the news just like everybody else.… But Randy's a brother for life. I wish nothing but the best for him."

Meanwhile, speaking of "life'': Lawrence has all along wanted to be a "Cowboy for life." That's why continuing to return to the negotiating table in that effort to rework his contract this offseason made sense.

And why, he said in a Thursday media visit, remaining in Dallas was a "no-brainer."

"I had high hopes that we would figure something out,'' he said. "It's all in being able to negotiate and both parties really getting what both deserves out of the deal.''

In Lawrence's last contract negotiations, when COO Stephen Jones brought up the team's cap challenges, the Pro Bowl end chuckled that those challenges aren't the problem of the player. This time around, though, Lawrence signed a new three-year, $40 million deal featuring $30 million in guarantees.

Coming into this offseason, Lawrence had two years left on the five-year, $105 million contract he signed in 2019. Something had to give. And Lawrence, 29, did so, as he is now under contract through 2024 while his 2022 cap figure is shaved from $27 million to $14 million.

"If we're not building and putting strong players around us, we're not going to be able to get better,'' said Lawrence. "So that's one of the reasons I restructured.''

But there is something else, and Lawrence, who missed 10 of the first 11 games with a foot fracture, was clear about this in his visit with CowboysSI.com right after the re-do. He is a Cowboys leader; the "captains' workouts are happening right now at The Star and he's helping the labor "kick our asses.''

"I want to finish where I started and also have another opportunity to go for a Super Bowl," he said. "I don't want to do it nowhere else. I made that decision a long time ago and I'm glad I'm still here.''

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