For 11 seasons, the Dallas Cowboys knew that pass-rusher DeMarcus Lawrence would be a staple of their defensive front, a four-time Pro Bowl end who had collected 61.5 sacks in 141 games with the team.

But at age 32 in the 2024 season, Lawrence suffered a fractured bone in his foot and was limited to seven games as part of an injury-addled season for the Cowboys as a whole that resulted in seven wins.

Lawrence had hoped to come back to the Cowboys when he hit free agency after the injury. “The ball is in their court. I’m not only going to play in Dallas,” Lawrence said in early March, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I’m going to have other options, but I’d like to stay here. It would be a glorious thing.”

But within two weeks, Lawrence had not gotten a credible offer from the Cowboys and signed a three-year, $32.5 million deal with the Seahawks. His tune changed, as he told a Seahawks blog that while Dallas is his home, “I know for sure I’m not going to win a Super Bowl there. So, yeah … we here.”

Cowboys Letting DeMarcus Lawrence Go Set Off War of Words

There was much consternation about Lawrence’s comments within and around the Cowboys. It set off a war of words with Micah Parsons, who was still a Cowboy and still defending The Star at the time. Parsons called Lawrence’s comment, “clown (expletive).” But Lawrence shut down Parsons pretty emphatically.

“Calling me a clown won’t change the fact that I told the truth,” Lawrence wrote. “Maybe if you spent less time tweeting and more time winning, I wouldn’t have left.”

Lawrence has long been a well-respected veteran, so he was never going to be much of strong candidate to land as a villain for Cowboys fans. But most important is that he has now been vindicated, that the Cowboys failed to make the playoffs and he, after the Seahawks’ NFC Championship Game win over the Rams on Sunday, will finally be going to a Super Bowl.

As a bonus for Lawrence, Parsons and the Packers will also be watching from home.

Defensive Implosin Proved Him Right

For 11 seasons, the Dallas Cowboys knew that pass-rusher DeMarcus Lawrence would be a staple of their defensive front, a four-time Pro Bowl end who had collected 61.5 sacks in 141 games with the team.

But at age 32 in the 2024 season, Lawrence suffered a fractured bone in his foot and was limited to seven games as part of an injury-addled season for the Cowboys as a whole that resulted in seven wins.

Lawrence had hoped to come back to the Cowboys when he hit free agency after the injury. “The ball is in their court. I’m not only going to play in Dallas,” Lawrence said in early March, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I’m going to have other options, but I’d like to stay here. It would be a glorious thing.”

But within two weeks, Lawrence had not gotten a credible offer from the Cowboys and signed a three-year, $32.5 million deal with the Seahawks. His tune changed, as he told a Seahawks blog that while Dallas is his home, “I know for sure I’m not going to win a Super Bowl there. So, yeah … we here.”

Indeed, if you want a cheat sheet for why the Cowboys’ defense imploded in the 2025 season, the hiring of Matt Eberflus and the injuries to cornerbacks Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland are certainly near the top of the list. But the way the Cowboys jettisoned the combination of Parsons and Lawrence on the edges should be right near the top of the list.

Granted, the Cowboys did not want to pay Parsons the $40 million per year he was commanding. With the cap implications that could have had, and the draft picks the Cowboys were able to bring in by trading Parsons, there is some logic behind letting him go.

But pushing Lawrence out the door–especially when the Cowboys had few credible alternatives on the edge–was disastrous. Yes, Lawrence was in his 30s and injured. He came back like gangbusters, though, earning a Pro Bowl spot and rated the No. 13 pass rusher in the NFL by Pro Football Focus.

For $32.5 million over three years, letting Lawrence go was a huge mistake. Now, he is in the Super Bowl. And the Cowboys, again, are not.

There was much consternation about Lawrence’s comments within and around the Cowboys. It set off a war of words with Micah Parsons, who was still a Cowboy and still defending The Star at the time. Parsons called Lawrence’s comment, “clown (expletive).” But Lawrence shut down Parsons pretty emphatically.

“Calling me a clown won’t change the fact that I told the truth,” Lawrence wrote. “Maybe if you spent less time tweeting and more time winning, I wouldn’t have left.”

Lawrence has long been a well-respected veteran, so he was never going to be much of strong candidate to land as a villain for Cowboys fans. But most important is that he has now been vindicated, that the Cowboys failed to make the playoffs and he, after the Seahawks’ NFC Championship Game win over the Rams on Sunday, will finally be going to a Super Bowl.