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Demarcus Lawrence

July 16 Marks NFL’s Franchise Tag Extension Deadline

July 4th, 2018 at 12:59pm CST by Zachary Links

This year, the deadline for teams to reach extensions with franchise tagged players falls on July 16. If the following four players do not agree to new contracts in the coming days, they will be ticketed for free agency in 2019:

For Bell, the absence of a deal all but guarantees that he will be allowed to explore the open market next season. That’s because this is the second year in a row that Bell has been hit with the tag. He’ll make $14.544MM this season if no extension deal is reached, but a third tag would cost Pittsburgh more than $20MM. For the rest, the possibility of a second franchise tag remains, though the requisite 20% increase could prevent teams from applying the tender.

The rules of the franchise tag dictate that teams have until mid-July to hammer out an extension with players. If not, the two sides are barred from engaging in contract talks until after the season has concluded.

From 2013-2017, 16 of the league’s 33 franchise tagged players agreed to extensions before the summer deadline. This year, it’s hard to say whether deals will be reached for any of the players in question. Bell is looking for a deal that will reflect his production as a top running back and a No. 2 wide receiver. The defensive ends, Ansah and Lawrence, know that teams are willing to overpay for quality edge rushers in free agency. Joyner, meanwhile, may be content to let the Rams control his fate since he’ll either make $11MM+ this year and hit free agency, or earn $25MM through two franchise tags and reach the open market in 2020.

Then again, a serious injury could derail any member of this quartet, so there’s something to be said for financial security over monetary upside. Joyner, in particular, could be quietly eager to sign a multi-year deal after watching a dismal free agent safety market play out this offseason.

What we do know for sure is that the next 12 days will be worth monitoring.

DeMarcus Lawrence Willing To Play On Tag

May 17th, 2018 at 2:54pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys have until mid-July to hammer out a long-term extension with DeMarcus Lawrence. If not, he’ll play out the year on the one-year, $17.143MM franchise tag. Other players might worry about that lack of security, but that’s fine with the defensive end. 

“It really doesn’t matter,” Lawrence said this week (via Jon Machota of the Dallas News). “If I do my thing, I put up my stats and I help my team win, they ain’t got no choice but to sign me. That’s how I feel.”

Lawrence, who turned 26 this spring, had 14.5 sacks in 2017. That total was the most by a Cowboys player since another DeMarcus – DeMarcus Ware – had 19 in 2011. The Cowboys also notched 38 sacks as a team, giving them their highest total overall since ’11.

Lawrence was a big reason for the Cowboys’ success against opposing quarterbacks and they ideally would like to keep him in the long term. However, agent David Canter is believed to be seeking a deal that will at least match that of fellow client Olivier Vernon. In 2016, Vernon signed the largest deal in NFL history for a defensive end when he inked a five-year, $85MM deal with the Giants.

The advanced metrics also underscored Lawrence’s dominance in 2017. Last year, he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 3 ranked edge rusher, putting him behind only Cameron Jordan and Von Miller.

As shown on Roster Resource, the Cowboys project to start Lawrence and Tyrone Crawford at defensive end with Brian Price and Maliek Collins in the middle. Defensive ends David Irving, 2017 first-round pick Taco Charlton, and free agent addition Kony Ealy are also ticketed for significant playing time at DE and that group could be strengthened even further if Randy Gregory is cleared to play in 2018.

Demarcus Lawrence Signs Franchise Tag

March 5th, 2018 at 6:56pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Cowboys defensive end Demarcus Lawrence has signed his franchise tag, according to his agent David Canter (Twitter link). Lawrence wasted no time in inking his tender, as Dallas had just formally applied the tag this afternoon.

As the NFL announced earlier tonight, the franchise tender figure for defensive ends has been set at $17.143MM. By signing his tag, Lawrence has fully guaranteed himself that total. On an annual basis, Lawrence will become the highest-paid defensive end in the league, although the Lions’ Ezekiel Ansah — who will surely ink his own franchise tag in the near future — will shortly join him atop the list.

Dallas indicated early in the offseason that it would deploy the franchise tag on Lawrence if no long-term deal was reached by the tag deadline, which occurs on Tuesday. Lawrence, who turns 26 years old next month, now has until July 16 to work out an extension with the Cowboys. If no comes together by that date, Lawrence must play out the 2018 campaign on the franchise tender.

A former second-round pick, Lawrence put up the best season of his four-year career in 2017. He started all 16 games and finished second in the league with 14.5 sacks, led the NFL with 57 pressures, and graded as the third-best edge rusher among 106 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.

With Lawrence’s large 2018 base salary on the books, the Cowboys are now extremely tight on cap space (per Over the Cap, Dallas could currently have fewer than $200K in funds). That’s the fourth-lowest amount of cap room in the league, meaning the Cowboys will need to make further transactions in order to comply with the cap. Dez Bryant and Orlando Scandrick have been mentioned as candidates for release, while Dallas might also extend Zack Martin in a move that would reduce his 2018 cap charge.

Cowboys Apply Tag To Demarcus Lawrence

March 5th, 2018 at 3:02pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys and defensive end Demarcus Lawrence will not reach a long-term deal before Tuesday’s franchise deadline, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). With no long-term deal in place, the Cowboys have followed through on their plan to apply the one-year franchise tag on Lawrence for 2018, as David Moore of the Dallas Morning News tweets.

The one-year placeholder will cost the Cowboys $17.5MM. Per league rules, the two sides still have until July 16 to hammer out a new contract. If no agreement is reached between now and then, Lawrence will remain with the Cowboys at a costly rate for the coming year.

The Cowboys would like to smooth out Lawrence’s cap hit and the defensive end would like to have the financial security of a long-term pact. However, it won’t come cheap. Agent David Canter also represents defensive end Olivier Vernon, who signed the largest contract in NFL history for his position when he landed a five-year, $85MM deal with the Giants in 2016. It is believed that Canter is seeking at least $17MM/year to match Vernon’s contract.

Lawrence racked up 14.5 sacks in 2017, nearly double Vernon’s total from his contract year. He also graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 3 ranked DE, putting him behind only Cameron Jordan and Von Miller amongst edge rushers.

Cowboys To Tag Demarcus Lawrence

February 22nd, 2018 at 7:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cowboys are not planning to let Demarcus Lawrence test free agency after his breakout season.

They will not place the franchise tag on the fifth-year defensive end on Tuesday — the first day teams can do so — but do plan to by March 6 (the last day this option is on the table for teams), David Moore of the Dallas Morning News reports (on Twitter). Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones confirmed Dallas will deploy the tender if necessary, per Todd Archer of ESPN.com.

The sides will then begin negotiations toward a long-term deal and have until July 16 to do so. This will take one of the top UFAs off the market. A defensive end tag will cost the Cowboys $17.5MM. Without Lawrence on their 2018 books, the Cowboys are projected to enter the ’18 league year with $19.1MM in cap space. They will have to do a bit of work to create more in order to be a player in free agency.

Lawrence was not expected to head there after his Pro Bowl campaign. The Cowboys were set to begin negotiations this month with their former second-round pick and have established retaining him as their top offseason priority.

After an inconsistent first three seasons featuring injuries and a suspension, Lawrence dominated in his contract year by registering 14.5 sacks. He picked up 7.5 in the Cowboys’ first three games and collected at least one sack in each of Dallas’ first seven contests, doing so for a team that’s been in search of edge help since cutting DeMarcus Ware after the 2013 season. Dallas essentially drafted Lawrence to replace Ware and now intends to pay him in hopes of the sides establishing a long-term Cowboys partnership like the franchise had with Ware.

East Rumors: Cowboys, Lawrence, Bills

February 22nd, 2018 at 4:36pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys have yet to talk to DeMarcus Lawrence’s agent about an extension, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). They are expected to meet with Lawrence’s agent, David Canter, at the combine, but they may experience some sticker shock when they happens.

As Pelissero notes, Canter negotiated Olivier Vernon‘s five-year, $85MM free agent deal with the Giants two years ago, and it’s his “understanding” that he’ll look for at least $17MM/year to match Vernon. If that’s not on the table, Lawrence is apparently comfortable playing under the franchise tag for defensive ends, which is projected to be more than $17.5MM for the coming season.

Lawrence has back surgery and a suspension in his history, but he tallied 14.5 sacks in 2017, which nearly doubles Vernon’s total from his contract year. Vernon earned an outstanding 92.6 overall score from Pro Football Focus in his walk year, but Lawrence bested that with a 94.1 showing in 2017, putting him behind only Cameron Jordan and Von Miller in the edge rusher category.

Here’s more from the East divisions:

  • At this point, it doesn’t seem likely that the Bills will cut Tyrod Taylor before they have a replacement lined up at quarterback, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link). Rapoport hears that the Bills are comfortable with paying Taylor’s $6MM roster bonus just to keep him on the roster, giving them the option of either trading him or keeping him to start this season in front of a rookie. If they pay out Taylor’s bonus, his contract will effectively boil down to a one-year, $10MM deal, which should make him attractive to QB-needy teams who lose out on this year’s top free agents or are unable to bid that high.
  • It would make sense for the Patriots to retain tackle LaAdrian Waddle and/or tackle Cameron Fleming, Doug Kyed of NESN opines. The Pats won all five games that Waddle started in last year and he did not surrender a sack. Both Waddle and Fleming are familiar with the Pats’ blocking schemes and that is important for New England, particularly with Nate Solder scheduled for free agency.

2018 NFL Franchise Tag Candidates

February 20th, 2018 at 12:13am CST by Zachary Links

Starting today, NFL teams will be able to place franchise and transition tags on potential free agents for the first time. While the window for franchise tags is open, most clubs won’t actually tag any players right away.

As our list of important dates for the 2018 offseason shows, the deadline for teams to assign those tags doesn’t come until Tuesday, March 6. Usually, when it comes to NFL contract discussions, deadlines spur action, so teams will wait until that deadline approaches to officially use franchise tags, once it becomes clear that they won’t be able to strike a longer-term deal yet with their respective free-agents-to-be.

Even though the action might not heat up for a couple more weeks, it’s worth taking a closer look at what to expect during 2018’s franchise tag period. The NFL hasn’t officially announced the salary cap figure for 2017, but OverTheCap.com recently projected the 2018 franchise tag salaries based on a presumed $178MM cap. Here are the expected non-exclusive franchise tag amounts:

  • Quarterback: $23.09MM
  • Running back: $11.72MM
  • Wide receiver: $16.23MM
  • Tight end: $10.36MM
  • Offensive line: $14.54MM
  • Defensive end: $17.52MM
  • Defensive tackle: $14.53MM
  • Linebacker: $15.47MM
  • Cornerback: $14.88MM
  • Safety: $11.08MM
  • Punter/kicker: $5.06MM

(For a refresher on the characteristics of the exclusive and non-exclusive franchise tags, as well as the transition tag, be sure to check out PFR’s glossary entry on the subject.)

Here’s our look at the most likely candidates to be tagged, along with several more outside possibilities:

Virtual Locks:

  • Le’Veon Bell, RB, Steelers: Last offseason, things got pretty weird between the Steelers and Bell. Just before the deadline to extend franchise tagged players, the Steelers believed that they had agreed on a five-year offer worth roughly $60MM. Ultimately, Bell backed out because he did not find the guarantees and cash flow to be to his liking. Soon after, friend and former teammate Ike Taylor said that Bell wanted a contract that reflects his performance as both a No. 1 back and a No. 2 receiver – something in the neighborhood of $15MM per year. Le'Veon Bell (vertical) This year, Bell topped his 75 catch total with 85 grabs, so one has to imagine that his position hasn’t changed. Despite some retirement threats in January, Bell has indicated that talks are going better this time around. Here’s where things get interesting – the Steelers say that today (Feb. 20) is the “deadline” for a long-term deal to get signed. If not, they’ll go ahead and franchise tag him for a second consecutive season, leaving Bell with a one-year, $14.5MM pact when factoring in the 20% increase. Will Bell buckle and sign a deal that isn’t quite to his satisfaction? In theory, the running back could abstain from offseason activities and even reboot retirement talk in an effort to get the Steelers to cave and abide by the real extension deadline on July 16.
  • Demarcus Lawrence, DE, Cowboys: It has already been reported that the Cowboys will go ahead and tag Lawrence to prevent him from reaching free agency. Once that happens, you can expect the cash-strapped Cowboys to get to work on an extension that will smooth out the $17.5MM cap hit for defensive ends. There won’t be much drama as to whether the Cowboys will or won’t tag Lawrence, but the subsequent multi-year negotiations will be interesting to watch. Lawrence had a rocky first three seasons in the NFL, but he stepped up big in his contract year with 14.5 sacks. The Cowboys must be willing to pay Lawrence like a top DE, but they may insist on protections like an easy escape hatch or heavy roster bonuses in the event that he is injured or suspended.

Strong Candidates:

  • Sammy Watkins, WR, Rams: As our own Micah Powell explained on Sunday, Watkins is a candidate for the tag with mutual interest on both sides in continuing their union. Committing major dollars to Watkins is dicey, however, given his injury history and his somewhat disappointing stat line in 2017. If the Rams let Watkins hit the open market, they’ll risk losing him to other teams with more wiggle room under the salary cap. In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. And in a weak crop of free agent wide receivers, Watkins could clean up and leave the Rams without an obvious replacement.Sammy Watkins (vertical)
  • Allen Robinson, WR, Jaguars: Tagging Watkins will be a tough call for the Rams and the Jaguars have a similarly difficult decision to make when it comes to Robinson. Robinson played only three snaps in 2017 before going down with a torn ACL and he didn’t set the world on fire in 2016. However, his 2015 performance – 80 catches, 1,400 yards, and a league-leading 14 touchdowns – makes it hard for Jacksonville to let him walk. In theory, the Jaguars could re-sign fellow free agent Marqise Lee and let Robinson go, but Robinson is clearly the more talented of the two and one could argue that Lee’s late-season emergence was fueled by advantageous matchups. It’ll be pricey, but the Jaguars are suddenly in position to win and they can’t afford to let one of their best weapons bolt.

Toss Up:

  • Kyle Fuller, CB, Bears: Frankly, I’m conflicted on this one. I’m sure Bears GM Ryan Pace can relate. Fuller turned in a strong rookie campaign and an excellent contract year, but he was a victim of the sophomore jinx and an unfortunate knee injury which cost him his entire season as an NFL junior. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com hears that Fuller will not be with the Bears this year. But, considering that Fuller graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 22 ranked cornerback and the position is already a major area of need for the team, the Bears have to at least think about tagging him for $14.88MM. Kyle Fuller (Vertical)
  • Ezekiel Ansah, DE, Lions: Ansah has performed pretty well over the last two seasons, despite playing through some serious pain. The Lions probably aren’t thrilled about extending a one-year, $17.5MM tender to Ansah, but pressure generating edge rushers like him are at a premium. Consider this: Ansah tallied 12 sacks last year despite knee, ankle, and back ailments. Only seven players topped that total: Chandler Jones, Calais Campbell, DeMarcus Lawrence, Everson Griffen, Cam Jordan, Ryan Kerrigan, and Joey Bosa.
  • Case Keenum, QB, Vikings: Is one year as an elite quarterback enough to justify the franchise tag? Maybe, but the Vikings have options at their disposal, including two other pending free agents already on the roster. If the Vikings can’t retain Keenum or Bradford or Bridgewater with a reasonable multi-year deal between now and free agency, they can use their mountain of cap space to get involved in the Cousins sweepstakes.
  • Sheldon Richardson, DT, Seahawks: The Jets had both Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson under contract, but they could only afford to pay one of the two defensive linemen. Clearly, they chose wrong. For all of the headaches that Richardson gave the team, the five-year, $86MM deal given to Wilkerson wound up being a monumental mistake and will continue to be an albatross for the Jets even after they cut him this offseason. The Seahawks gave up a second-round choice and wide receiver Jermaine Kearse to get Richardson – will they make the same mistake and let him get away? Perhaps not, but it would also be a major gamble to tag him at $14.5MM with limited cap space and other holes to address. The best course of action here may be to try and work out a fresh deal without the franchise tag as a floor for Richardson’s camp. If that fails and the two sides can’t come to terms, the Seahawks can at least collect a 2019 compensatory pick.

Read more

Extra Points: Tags, Cowboys, Cards, Vikings

February 19th, 2018 at 3:42pm CST by Ryan Posner

ESPN.com’s NFL Nation reporters took a crack at predicting how each team may use its franchise tag this offseason. Of note, Jeff Dickerson predicts the Bears will use their tag to retain free agent-to-be Kyle Fuller, despite a report he would not be returning to Chicago. The franchise tag for cornerbacks last season was $14.21MM. Other notable predictions included the Seahawks tagging Sheldon Richardson, the Dolphins placing their top tag on Jarvis Landry and the Giants keeping a key offensive line piece in Justin Pugh. All are among the top players at their respective positions set to hit unrestricted free agency. Miami tagging Landry would make for an interesting situation considering the fifth-year receiver and the Dolphins have been at an impasse about an extension for several months. This led to a report that Landry doesn’t believe he’ll be back in Miami. Landry’s also believed to want a deal in the $14MM-AAV range. With the wide receiver tag is expected to be worth approximately $16.2MM, Landry could be a candidate to sign a franchise tender early in the event the Dolphins proceed this way.

Here’s the latest from around the league:

  • The Cowboys have reportedly expressed they will slap a franchise tag on free agent-to-be Demarcus Lawrence, but Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram believes the team will look to work out a long-term deal within the two-week window before it’s forced to designate its tag. A tag will not come before next week, Hill reports. Hill points to Dez Bryant, whom the team tagged in 2015 but worked out a long-term deal with prior to the season. The franchise tag for defensive ends is expected to be in the neighborhood of $17.5MM for the upcoming season.
  • Hill also correlates Lawrence’s contract situation to the Cowboys’ plans for defensive tackle David Irving, who’s set to become a restricted free agent. The Cowboys have approximately $19MM in cap space, according to Hill, and a second-round tender for Irving plus a tag for Lawrence would consume nearly all of Dallas’ cap space. Hill notes this could lead to the restructuring of contracts for players such as Travis Frederick and Tyron Smith and Sean Lee.
  • With Carson Palmer retiring, and fellow quarterbacks Blaine Gabbert, Drew Stanton and Matt Barkley due to hit free agency, the Cardinals could be in the market for up to four quarterbacks this offseason, according to Mike Jurecki of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (on Twitter). The team will obviously seek out a starter to replace Palmer, but Jurecki believes they’ll also add at least one quarterback in the draft and add another through free agency to create depth. A combination of Palmer, Stanton and Gabbert led Arizona to an 8-8 record and third-place finish in the NFC West last year.
  • Mike Remmers is set to start on the Vikings‘ offensive line next season, but where he starts on the line is still up in the air. Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune dives into the subject, noting how the team stuck with him at right guard for its two postseason games, despite the return of center Pat Elflein. An Elflein injury forced Remmers to move from right tackle to right guard in the first place. The retirement of 35-year-old Joe Berger, who Remmers filled in for at right guard, could also determine the Vikings’ course of action. Minnesota signed Remmers to a five-year, $30MM contract last offseason.

Lawrence Talks To Begin Next Month

January 27th, 2018 at 7:59pm CST by Micah Powell

To no one’s surprise, Pro Bowl defensive end Demarcus Lawrence is priority No. 1 for the Cowboys this offseason. Though he is the top target, Lawrence and his camp have yet to begin discussing a contract extension with the Cowboys and don’t expect to until later in February, ESPN’s Jenna Laine writes. "<strong

Lawrence’s agent, David Canter, says he expects to sit down with Cowboys brass at the NFL Combine, which begins on Feb. 28 in Indianapolis. Judging from Canter’s comments, Lawrence will not be giving Dallas a hometown discount.

“It’s really up to them to want to do a deal that’s in line with what the market is for a young, ascending, elite franchise-caliber defensive end. Whatever that number ends up being remains to be seen. But I do imagine and believe that we’ll have multiple conversations over the next month or so. I think it’s early right now.”

Even if a longterm deal is not struck, it is fully expected that the Cowboys will use their franchise tag on the pass rusher. In 2017, Lawrence posted 14.5 sacks — tied for second in the league with Calais Campbell — and registered 27 quarterback hits. His sack total was the highest by a Cowboys defender since DeMarcus Ware in 2011.

The last time the Cowboys used the franchise tag was on Dez Bryant in 2015, shortly before signing the receiver to a contract extension. Using the franchise tag on Lawrence would cost the Cowboys about $17.5 MM.

Canter is also the agent of Giants defensive end Olivier Vernon, who signed the largest contract in NFL history for a defensive end when he landed a five-year, $85 MM deal in 2016.

Cowboys Notes: Dez, Lawrence, O’Quinn

January 23rd, 2018 at 7:12pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Speaking to the media today, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he intends on wide receiver Dez Bryant being part of the club’s roster in 2018, but wouldn’t comment on a possible pay cut for the mercurial pass-catcher, according to Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). Bryant will turn 30 years old during the 2018 campaign, and is coming off a disappointing season in which he managed only 69 receptions, 838 yards, and six touchdowns, the third straight campaign in which Bryant has failed to top 1,000 yards receiving. He’s due a base salary of $12.5MM next year, so while Jones refused to touch the subject of a pay reduction, the topic figures to come up this offseason.

Here’s more from Dallas, with all links going to George’s Twitter account:

  • While Bryant’s contract will be on the Cowboys’ docket over the next several months, the team’s “first goal” is to sign defensive end Demarcus Lawrence to a long-term extension, said executive vice president Stephen Jones (link). A multi-year pact is always preferable to the franchise tag from a team’s perspective thanks to the salary cap implications of each contract, but Lawrence holds all the leverage after a posting a 12.5-sack performance in 2017. A one-year franchise tender for the 25-year-old Lawrence will cost the Cowboys nearly $18MM.
  • Jerry Jones confirmed reports that the Cowboys have re-signed running backs coach Gary Brown and hired the recently-retired Kellen Moore as the club’s quarterbacks coach (link). Both the Raiders and Texans expressed interest in hiring Brown this offseason, but Dallas had always maintained dialogue with the longtime coach, who joined the Cowboys in 2013. Moore, meanwhile, has a backer in Dallas offensive coordinator Scott Linehan, who has called Moore a “machine” in terms of learning and communicating.
  • The Cowboys are closing in on a deal to promote assistant special teams coach Keith O’Quinn to the lead role, per Jones (link). O’Quinn would replace Rich Bisaccia, who left Dallas to become an assistant head coach/special teams with Jon Gruden‘s Raiders. This was one of two possible outcomes, as reports had indicated O’Quinn would either be promoted to the full-time special teams role or take over as the Cowboys’ tight ends coach.
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