Cowboys give Lawrence new 3-year contract worth reported $40M

The Dallas Cowboys have signed defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence to a new three-year contract, the team announced Monday.

The pact is worth $40 million, a source told NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Lawrence's deal also contains $30 million in guarantees over the first two years and reduces his cap hit from $27 million to $14 million in 2022.

The 29-year-old, now signed through 2024, previously inked a five-year, $105-million extension in April 2019. He appeared in only seven regular-season games in 2021 due to a broken foot sustained at practice after Week 1. Lawrence didn't return until Week 13.

The injury limited Lawrence to 21 tackles, three sacks, and two forced fumbles last campaign.

The two-time Pro Bowler has been one of Dallas' best pass-rushers since entering the NFL as a second-round pick in 2014. He notched 10-plus sacks in consecutive seasons in 2017 and 2018 - including a career-high 14.5 in 2017 - but hasn't topped 6.5 sacks since.

With pass-rusher Randy Gregory hitting free agency this offseason, keeping Lawrence became a priority for the Cowboys. The move may also help Dallas re-sign Gregory, who ranked second on the team last year with six sacks, behind only Micah Parsons' 13.

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