The Seattle Seahawks got tremendous production all season out of free agent addition DeMarcus Lawrence on the stellar defensive line. Now with a Super Bowl ring, is he about to hang up the cleats?
This time last year, the Seattle Seahawks added depth and leadership to its defensive line with the free-agency signing of edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence, the 11-year veteran of the Dallas Cowboys.
In "D-Law's" exit in Dallas, he sent some parting shots out to former teammate Micah Parsons and the Cowboys organization, saying he knew he wouldn't be able to win a Super Bowl "there".
And now "here" with the Seahawks, lo and behold he and Mike Macdonald's squad hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
It was a storybook moment for Lawrence, 33, in Year 1 of his three-year contract with Seattle ... but a concerning report from ESPN's Seahawks insider Brady Henderson puts Lawrence's tenure in the Pacific Northwest (and in the NFL) into question.
"I think one of the first questions they’ve got to figure out is whether or not DeMarcus Lawrence is coming back," Henderson said on Seattle Sports' 'Bump and Stacy' podcast discussing the Seahawks' offseason. "That’s a very real question. And the Seahawks don’t know. I think people in DeMarcus Lawrence’s camp, at least when I checked a few days ago, still were not sure."
Lawrence started in all 16 games he played this season and recorded 6.0 sacks, 53 tackles, and two memorable fumble recoveries returned for touchdowns - both coming in the Week 8 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
His $32.5 million contract holds an average salary of $10.8 million, and while he plenty fits into the Seahawks' budget for 2026, the loss on the field would be detrimental.
Henderson explains the additional factors that might drive him toward retirement after summiting the NFL mountain.
"This is a guy who’s 33 years old. His wife just gave birth to [their sixth child]. And he just won a Super Bowl for the first time in his career. So if ever there was a situation where a guy could decide to ride off into the sunset, it could be this one."
Seattle may still boast a stout defensive front led by veteran Leonard Williams, but Lawrence's immediate production and leadership on his new team suggested plenty more to get excited about in the future. Having that stripped away after winning a championship is less than ideal.
"If he decides to hang his cleats up, it’s a loss that will be difficult to mitigate [for the Seahawks]" SI's Brendon Nelson said.
"Even if D-Law came back diminished as a pass rusher, he should remain one of the top run defenders in the game for as long as he continues to suit up. With Boye Mafe an imminent free agent and Uchenna Nwosu hanging in limbo with health and contract questions, it’s a hard problem to solve."
There is no timetable for an expected announcement by Lawrence, but this possibility could become a factor in how the Seahawks attack their No. 32 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, as well as the rest of their draft capital and free agency plans.