Cowboys Rumors: Demarcus Lawrence Contract Talks Hinge On Shoulder Surgery

The NFL draft is less than one month away, but the Dallas Cowboys are already on the clock for something else.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Friday on NFL Total Access that contract talks between the Cowboys and defensive end Demarcus Lawrence hinge on Lawrence's pending shoulder surgery:

Lawrence said in October that he has been playing through a torn labrum in his shoulder for the last two years. He made the Pro Bowl both seasons and accumulated 25 sacks.

Lawrence will turn 27 years old April 28.

The Cowboys have placed the franchise tag on Lawrence for the second season in a row. Per Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Lawrence has no intention of signing the $20.5 million tag and won't settle for anything less than a long-term deal.

On Thursday, Bleacher Report's Mike Tanier argued the Cowboys should pay Lawrence the way the Los Angeles Rams took care of back-to-back NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald rather than lose him like the Oakland Raiders lost linebacker Khalil Mack:

"Lawrence's impact goes far beyond his sack totals.

"He finished fifth in the NFL with 43.5 pass pressures in 2018, per Football Outsiders/Sports Info Solutions, ahead of [Trey] Flowers (41.5), [Von] Miller (36.5) and Mack (38.0) but behind Donald, who led the NFL with 59.0. ... He also excelled in run defense.

"Lawrence was the best player on a young defense that improved drastically last year, making him almost as indispensable to the Cowboys as quarterback Dak Prescott. And whether the Cowboys like it or not, Mack and Donald reset the market with their massive deals last year, which is why the good-but-hardly-spectacular Flowers now has $50 million guaranteed in the bank."

Hill reported Friday that the Cowboys and Lawrence are "at an impasse in contract negotiations." Dallas has offered around $20 million annually as part of a long-term deal, while Lawrence is seeking a number closer to Mack's NFL-leading $23.5 million per year, per Hill.

The deadline to sign a tagged player to a long-term deal is July 15. After that, the Cowboys and Lawrence will have to wait until after the 2019 season to resume negotiations.