SEATTLE – It was expected the Seattle Seahawks would try to add to their pass rush in free agency.
Wednesday brought news they had done just that as the Seahawks reached an agreement with longtime Dallas Cowboys edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence. The news was revealed first by his agency Aura Sports Group.
Several national outlets reported that Lawrence, who turns 33 on April 28, agreed to a three-year deal worth up to $42 million with $18 million guaranteed.
The move reunites Lawrence with Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde, who was Dallas’ defensive line coach from 2021-23.
The 6-foot-3, 265-pound Lawrence had three sacks in four games last year, missing most of the season with a Lisfranc injury to his right foot.
But he has 61.5 sacks in 11 seasons and the Seahawks are hoping for more of the same.
The Seahawks return three of their top pass rushers from last season in Uchenna Nwosu, Derick Hall and Boye Mafe.
The Seahawks released veteran Dre’Mont Jones last week and they could view Lawrence as a replacement for his snaps. The Seahawks wanted to use Jones more as an edge rusher last season, though he ended up playing substantially as a base end. They also released veteran end Roy Robertson-Harris, who signed with the Giants.
The Seahawks are working on a renegotiated contract with Nwosu, whose cap hit of $21.168 million is the highest on the team for 2025 after the trades/release of Geno Smith, DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. It’s unclear if the signing of Lawrence is related to anything with Nwosu.
Lawrence is the fourth external free agent the Seahawks have signed since the negotiating period began on Monday but the first on defense. The others, as of Wednesday afternoon, were quarterback Sam Darnold, offensive lineman Josh Jones and receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Lawrence played at Boise State before entering the NFL as a second-round pick of the Cowboys in 2014. Lawrence has made the Pro Bowl four times in his career, including after each of his last fully healthy seasons in 2022 and 2023. Lawrence played all 17 games each year with a combined 10 sacks.
He had the eighth-highest grade from Pro Football Focus of any edge defender in 2023, which included a 92.4 mark in run defense.
Wrote PFF in its free-agency preview of Lawrence: “Lawrence was lost for the season in Week 4 – but not before racking up three sacks, a forced fumble, four tackles for loss and five more quarterback hits through just one month. The veteran is a disruptive force on all three downs when healthy, but a Lisfranc injury to his foot could lead to a tricky free agency period.”
This story will be updated.