Shaq Lawson is going to get paid this offseason
In a bit of a surprising move by the Bills’ brass over the summer, Brandon Beane and company decided to decline the fifth-year option for defensive end Shaq Lawson, the Bills’ first-round pick in 2016. That meant Lawson would be playing for one year and trying to prove he was worth a new contract, either from the Bills at the end of the season, or from a new team in free agency.
So far, Lawson has been making the case that he should get paid and paid handsomely.
Lawson continued his strong recent play on Sunday with two sacks of Denver quarterback Brandon Allen. These were not cheap sacks either as Lawson beat his blocker cleanly each time and got to Allen for big losses.
The first sack came on a third and three in the second quarter as Lawson tripped up Allen from behind for a 13-yard loss back to the Denver 36, forcing a punt. In the third quarter, Lawson sacked Allen on a third and three again, this time for a 10-yard loss to the Denver 15 as he quickly got in Allen’s face and mauled him to force a punt.
The two sacks give Lawson three in his last two games and five for the season. He also has at least one quarterback hit in each of his last three games.
Lawson made sure Broncos’ offensive lineman Connor McGovern knew about it, confronting him after the game and reminding him of the two sacks after McGovern allegedly told Lawson during the game that he “never heard of him.”
Lawson appears to be playing with a bit of a chip on his shoulder this season, and it may have something to do with the Bills declining his fifth year option in the offseason. The best thing to do is go out and prove you’re worth the money, and Lawson has done that so far this season.
It remains to be seen if Lawson will be in the Bills’ long-term plans after this season, or if the contract he’ll get on the open market will be too expensive for Buffalo’s liking. The Bills do have some $90 million in cap space to play with for the 2020 offseason. In the short term, Lawson has emerged as one of the more dependable players on the Buffalo defensive line. The Bills have been trying to find a consistent pass rush and Lawson has been one of the more consistent sources of this pass rush in recent weeks.
The Bills suddenly are having an easier time getting to opposing quarterbacks with 20 sacks as a team in the last five games, including 11 in the last two weeks. If this trend continues, Lawson will likely be a huge reason why. His five sacks are a career high and he’s chosen the absolute best time for him to have a career season. No matter what happens after this season ends, Lawson will be sure to secure the bag as a reward for an impressive season.
[lawrence-related id=49513,49527,49515,49470]