Dallas Cowboys News: Even After Being Franchise Tagged, DeMarcus Lawrence Can Speak With Other Teams
The Dallas Cowboys are already dealing with a number of issues this offseason, but they were going to make sure that they didn’t lose their top defensive player. As NFL free agency approaches, the Cowboys had contract discussions with DeMarcus Lawrence, but the two sides could not agree on a new deal. They have placed yet another franchise tag on him, but that’s not going to stop him from speaking with other teams.
The 2019 season of NFL free agency begins next week and it is quite possible that Lawrence will see what options are out there. Dallas placed a non-exclusive franchise tag on the big defensive end which stops him from signing with anyone, but it won’t hold him back entirely.
NFL.com reported that the Cowboys made an offer to Lawrence’s agent David Canter during the NFL Scouting Combine last week. It obviously was not the greatest of deals as Lawrence’s representatives didn’t even consider it something serious and essentially ignored it.
After offering him a deal like that, some believe that he may have actually found it to be insulting. A new deal could not be agreed upon, and that led to the Cowboys slapping the franchise tag on him and not allowing him to have total freedom in free agency, but he most certainly isn’t trapped.
#Cowboys kicked the can on a DeMarcus Lawrence deal – right past lucrative extensions elsewhere that only made him more expensive. Now they’re undermining their relationship with a “program” guy who works hard and shows accountability. That’s troubling. https://t.co/SsqsU5875T
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) March 6, 2019
Inside The Star went into great detail about franchise tags and the specific one that was placed on Lawrence. If teams want to speak with Lawrence, they can do that and they can even offer him a deal that may be to his liking. The problem comes in if Lawrence ends up agreeing to their offer as the other team will need to pay even more than his contract.
If a player with a non-exclusive franchise tag agrees to a contract, his current team has the right to match that offer. Should they match the offer, the player will remain with that team and has the new deal in place with them.
Should the player’s current team choose not to match the offer and allow them to sign with the other team, the new team owes two first-round draft picks as compensation.
The Dallas Cowboys do not want to lose a talented defensive end like DeMarcus Lawrence and that is why they put the franchise tag on him. Jerry Jones also knows how valuable first-round draft picks are and would not mind picking up a couple of them if some team wants to sign the DE out from under them. Lawrence may start placing calls to a few teams, but it may be hard to find one that is willing to give up so much.
