The Randy Gregory negotiations blew up in the Cowboys’ faces on Tuesday. Apparently contract talks with the team’s other starting defensive end nearly ended just as disastrously.
Eight-year veteran DeMarcus Lawrence offered an enlightening peek behind the curtains of the back and forth with Jerry and Stephen Jones that eventually kept him in Dallas on a new three-year deal worth $30 million, fully guaranteed. He reveals that he actually had one foot out the door based on the team’s original offer, one that he calls “disrespectful.” And with the cap savings his new pact brings to the team, the two-time Pro Bowler had some definite ideas on how the front office could spend some of it.
The pass rusher spoke with Patrick Peterson and Bryant McFadden on the All Things Covered podcast on Tuesday, telling the hosts that he was ready to pack his bags and leave the Cowboys based on the team’s initial request that he take a pay cut to help the bottom line.
“One year, ten million dollars,” Lawrence said of the Cowboys’ first offer.
The former second-round draft choice was previously due a 2022 base salary of $19 million, with a 2023 base of $21 million, none of it guaranteed. So yes, the new offer represented a significant drop.
“It’s disrespectful,” argues Lawrence. “It’s disrespectful to me, and also disrespectful for what I did for the Dallas Cowboys.”
Even though he says he was not interested in moving his family, Lawrence explained that he told the team it was time to part ways.
“I wish you all would cut me,” Lawrence said he told Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones. “And Stephen’s like, ‘All right, I’m going to have to bring your offer to Jerry to see what he says. But I’m pretty sure he’s going to be pretty pissed about it, because he just gave you $65 million.'”
The Cowboys placed Lawrence on the franchise tag back in 2018, and then did it again 364 days later. That designation bought the two sides more time to work out a deal, and in April of 2019, Lawrence signed a five-year contract worth $105 million, with a $65 million guarantee.
But with ten games missed in 2021 due to a broken foot and the organization in a dire salary cap situation heading into free agency, the Cowboys apparently looked at Lawrence’s remaining years as fat that could be trimmed. Their initial offer, however, cut too close to the bone for Lawrence’s liking.
"It's disrespectful"
That's how DeMarcus Lawrence described his initial offer from the Cowboys this offseason.
And up until the other day, he thought his time in Dallas was done. Hear what led to his return on @ATCoveredPod
Full clip and breakdown 👇https://t.co/15yHY9OUdy pic.twitter.com/2fcQzmgqY0
— Bryant McFadden (@BMac_SportsTalk) March 16, 2022
“My response was, ‘He didn’t give me [expletive]; I earned it,” Lawrence continued. “If Jerry wants to keep me here, he has to understand that. This is what I’m worth. And plus, I’m actually showing love and helping y’all out by offering y’all the relief and cap space by doing this deal with me. Let’s go out here and have a fruitful free agency, pick up the guys that we need in order to win a Super Bowl, because if I don’t get this number, I won’t be here to help.”
When presented with that argument, Lawrence reported that the billionaire owner saw the 29-year-old’s point of view, and saw a new contract to keep Lawrence in the silver and blue as a worthwhile investment.
“Jerry was like, ‘Man, shoot. D-Law’s been faithful to us for the last seven, eight years. Give him his damn money.'”
Lawrence got paid, but the structuring of the contract means others will, too. The Cowboys saved $13 million off the cap hit with the stroke of Lawrence’s pen. One of the players identified as a next step was Lawrence’s linemate. That negotiation ended with Gregory doing an eleventh-hour about-face and committing to Denver mere minutes after Dallas had announced he would be staying put. The fly in that ointment was supposedly unusual contract language that Gregory’s reps say was sneaked in by the club (or at least not specifically called out) after a verbal agreement had already been reached.
The front office’s slick contract dealings once again ended with a high-profile player feeling burned and walking away from the table. This time, though, Jerry wasn’t around to smooth things over. And the $70 million originally promised to Gregory now- ostensibly- goes back in the kitty for use elsewhere.
Like for Von Miller, perhaps.
The eight-time Pro Bowl outside linebacker is hitting free agency and has been linked to Dallas, in his home state and where he still has a residence.
And while Lawrence was surprised by the Gregory news and saddened by the departure of his friend, he’s admittedly excited about the prospect of helping to add a two-time Super Bowl champ to the Cowboys defense.
“He’s a great defensive end,” Lawrence said. ‘Shoot, man, we’d be lucky to get Von, happy to play with Von. We’ll see what’s up.”
On a unit that already boasts last season’s Defensive Rookie of the Year in Micah Parsons and the league’s interception leader in Trevon Diggs, Lawrence believes introducing another star like Miller would only allow everyone to shine a little brighter.
And maybe for him to notch a few more sacks.
“That’s the best way to do it,” Lawrence grinned. “If you don’t have any competition, you’re not going to work hard enough in order to get there. And plus, the first man is always the man that misses.”
In this case, it looks like Gregory may be the first man that missed on rejoining the Cowboys still-ascending defense. And Von Miller may be the man that swoops in and benefits.
All because Lawrence did the up-front work of having a hard conversation with the Joneses.
[listicle id=694992]
[listicle id=694899]
[listicle id=694962]
[lawrence-newsletter]