DeMarcus Lawrence’s words to the Cowboys sting more than ever, but there’s an obvious lesson to be learned from his Seahawks
The former Dallas Cowboys defensive end is Super Bowl-bound after the Seattle Seahawks’ win on Sunday.
It’s difficult on this Monday morning to not think about the words spoken by defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence last spring. After an 11-year run with the Dallas Cowboys and having just signed with the Seattle Seahawks, Lawrence went out of his way to take a jab at the team that didn’t try too hard to keep him around in free agency.
“Dallas is my home, I made my home there, my family lives there, and I’m forever going to be there, but I know for sure I’m not going to win a Super Bowl there,” Lawrence told Brian Nemhauser during an interview for Hawk Blogger.
The clip quickly went viral for multiple reasons. On the one hand, NFL fans will always find it funny to mock a franchise that hasn’t been in the Conference Championship game in 30 years. On the other, Cowboys fans mocked Lawrence because at the time, the Seahawks weren’t seen league-wide as a Super Bowl contender. And to top it all off then Cowboys star Micah Parsons publicly mocked Lawrence for his quote.
Now, Lawrence is headed to Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California, after the Seahawks beat the Los Angeles Rams in a dramatic 31-27 showdown. And all I can think about right now is how the Cowboys can learn something from the Seahawks, and how it’s time to do things differently if they want to prove Lawrence — and other former players with similar messages — wrong.
Cowboys need to replicate Seahawks’ free agency approach
Before we dive into it, a quick sidebar: Good for Lawrence, man. For years, he flew under the radar as a standout yet not elite pass rusher despite consistently playing as one of the most complete defenders at the position. In head coach Mike Macdonald’s scheme in Seattle, Lawrence has been a perfect fit.
It’s okay to be happy for D-Law despite his words aimed at the Cowboys in the offseason. Which, to be fair, came after Dallas happily let him walk in free agency.
As for what the Cowboys can learn from the Seahawks, one thing stands above all else: They built that team by spending a lot in free agency. The Seahawks had the fourth-highest spending in free agency in 2025, per Spotrac. And they gambled in the process.
They took a swing on Sam Darnold despite not being an elite QB. They signed Lawrence despite a foot injury that kept him out of most of the 2024 season. They signed “declining” WR Cooper Kupp to a three-year deal worth $45 million.
That’s at least three impactful and proven starters the Seahawks went out to sign, despite being imperfect and considered by many a “overpay” risk. Unlike the Cowboys’ typical bargain-hunting approach to free agency, Seattle was willing to spend above-average money on proven players, all of whom were significant starters in 2025. With as many roster needs ahead of the 2026 season, the Cowboys must replicate that approach.
And while it’s easy to point toward Dak Prescott’s cap number being higher than Darnold’s, it’s also an advantage to not have to worry about finding the right QB. Not to mention, the Cowboys have ways to free up nearly $100 million in cap space without releasing a single player.
Granted, that’s not all
Now granted, the Seahawks’ success isn’t all about making those three deals happen last March. Head coach Mike Macdonald is a defensive mastermind, and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has been stellar calling the plays. Their roster building has been impressive in free agency and the NFL Draft, with rookie DB Nick Emmanwori already becoming a household name.
There is more for the Cowboys to learn from them and the New England Patriots, who, by the way, led the league in free agency spending.
A promising sign? The Cowboys’ hire at defensive coordinator went against their status quo. Instead of targeting their typical candidate with head coaching experience, only one of nine interviewees for the job had such a resume. Many didn’t even have coordinator experience.
The Cowboys settled on 34-year old coach Christian Parker for the job. The decision came on the heels of franchise owner Jerry Jones admitting their way of doing things had not worked in the past.
Hopefully, with the Seahawks being Super Bowl-bound with Lawrence as their DE, he acknowledges the same is true of their free-agent approach.