A Super Bowl ring and a newborn son nearly nudged the veteran pass rusher into coaching, but a bittersweet hunger for a repeat title pulled him back.
DeMarcus Lawrence spent over a decade trying to accomplish one thing with the Dallas Cowboys ... that never came to fruition.
He finally won a Super Bowl during his first season with the Seattle Seahawks ... and apparently, in his mind, that was supposed to be it for him - a pinnacle reached.
A retirement planned.
Lawrence revealed recently that he entered last season believing he'd retire if Seattle won the championship, only to reconsider after the Seahawks actually accomplished it.
Now 34 years old, entering his 13th NFL season and having contemplated retirement in consecutive offseasons, Lawrence is back for another run.
As the Cowboys prepare to play at Seattle in preseason Game 1 on Saturday night (7 p.m. CT), it certainly raises a question ... could 2026 be his last ride?
"I kinda had my mind made up that if I won, I was done," Lawrence said. "But I kinda had a bittersweet feeling in my heart, understanding that with the type of team that we had, we should have been where we were last year. This is where the hard part begins, staying on top."
Lawrence considered retirement following his final season in Dallas, too.
His 11-year Cowboys tenure ended with an injury-shortened 2024 campaign in which he appeared in only four games. Rather than walking away, Lawrence signed a three-year deal with Seattle.
Safe to say that worked out pretty well.
Lawrence won't play in this one, as is the case with most of the Dak Prescott-led Dallas roster.
But there will surely be lots of pre- and post-game handshakes and hugs for many involved.
Oh, and there is this: On Friday, "Tank'' told Jori Epstein of Yahoo that "this will be my last year.''
So the old plan is now a new plan.
Lawrence appeared in 16 regular-season games, recorded six sacks and 11 tackles for loss, forced three fumbles and scored two defensive touchdowns. His performance earned him the fifth Pro Bowl selection of his career.
He then recorded a sack in each of Seattle's first two playoff games before the Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots 29-13 in Super Bowl LX.
So while Lawrence may be thinking about the end of his career, his play hasn't exactly suggested that it needs to arrive yet.
"I still have more to give," Lawrence said during OTAs in May.
Apparently, his wife agreed.
When asked Friday when he decided to return for another season, Lawrence joked that it happened "when my wife said it was OK."
There's a pretty understandable reason her opinion carried some weight.
Lawrence and his wife, Sasha, welcomed their sixth child one day after Seattle won the Super Bowl, giving the veteran pass rusher plenty to consider beyond football as he weighed whether to play another season.
Ultimately, though, the opportunity to experience life on the other side of a championship helped bring him back.
"They say it's no fun when the rabbit has the gun," Lawrence said. "We're the ones with the dot on our backs. I just want to see how that feels, see the different obstacles that we can overcome, are we going to stay together in those tough moments throughout a season and just be a part of this brotherhood."
Lawrence already knows what it's like to spend a season chasing the Lombardi Trophy.
Now he wants to know what it's like to defend one.
His contract runs through 2027, and nothing Lawrence has said indicates he's already decided when his career will end.
But considering retirement has entered the conversation in consecutive offseasons, it's fair to wonder how many more runs the 34-year-old has left.
If 2026 does become Lawrence's last ride, he'll enter it trying to accomplish something even his first 12 NFL seasons never offered him the opportunity to do:
Win another one.
