Cowboys' Demarcus Lawrence Never Planned Holdout: 'I Ain't Skipping $20 Million'

Even though Demarcus Lawrence recently secured a long-term deal with the Dallas Cowboys, the two-time Pro Bowler never gave any consideration to sitting out if he had to play on a franchise tag in 2019.

Per Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News, Lawrence emphasized that he wasn't going to sacrifice a huge payday to make a statement. 

"You ain't got to worry about that," he said. "It wasn't going to be a Le'Veon [Bell] situation. I ain't skipping $20 million for nobody."

Bell famously sat out last season rather than sign the one-year franchise tender worth $14.5 million from the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was able to find a lucrative long-term deal this offseason worth a maximum $61 million over four years from the New York Jets. 

The Cowboys took care of Lawrence, with NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reporting the two sides agreed to a five-year extension worth $105 million. 

Before that agreement was made, Lawrence was set to make over $20 million this season after being designated with the franchise tag for the second consecutive year. 

Lawrence has certainly earned his deal with at least eight sacks in three of the past four seasons, including a 25 over the previous two years combined.