DeMarcus Lawrence took a parting shot at the Dallas Cowboys after departing for the Seattle Seahawks.
The four-time Pro Bowl defensive end has agreed to a three-year deal with Seattle that includes $18million guaranteed and a max value of $42m.
He leaves the Cowboys after 11 NFL seasons, and while Lawrence has a deep affinity for Dallas, it seems he apparently doesn’t have much love for his former team.
“Dallas is my home. Made my home there,” the 32-year-old said, as his move was announced.
“My family lives there. I’m forever gonna be there. I know for sure I’m not gonna win a Super Bowl there.
“So, yeah… we here.”
Lawrence’s comments quickly went viral once they were shared online, and they caught the attention of his former teammate Micah Parsons.
The star pass rusher, who is believed to be chasing a contract extension with the Cowboys, suggested the shade came from ‘rejection and envy’.
Re-posting a video of the interview on X, Parsons wrote: “This is what rejection and envy look like! This some clown s***!”
“Calling me a clown won’t change the fact that I told the truth,” Lawrence then fired back, less than one hour later.
“Maybe if you spent less time tweeting and more time winning, I wouldn’t have left.”
While Lawrence’s comments have caused a stir, his assessment of his former franchise is far from outrageous.
The Cowboys haven’t hoisted a Lombardi Trophy since the 1995 season.
During his 11 years with ‘America’s Team’, Lawrence’s delivered 61.5 sacks and was voted to four Pro Bowls, but the deepest he went in the playoffs was the divisional round.
Like the Cowboys, the Seahawks are also coming off postseason-less campaign in 2024, but the veteran has made it clear he views Seattle as being an option that will put him closer to Super Bowl success.
There was suggestion he was close to retirement, after playing just four games last season due to injury, but that is not the case.
“I still have a lot left in the tank, I definitely didn’t want to kick the bucket too soon,” he said of his decision to keep playing.
“I think the deciding factor was, shoot, a couple days ago.
“Just these opportunities coming around, people still believe in my type of ball, people still want to see me out there on the field.
“If that’s what they want, give it to them.”
Lawrence’s parting shots have already upset one of his former teammates in Parsons, and they likely won’t sit well with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
Jones takes the team’s championship drought more personally than anyone else, and he also signed Lawrence to the richest deal in Dallas history given to a defensive player in 2019.
Back then, the defensive end inked a five-year, $105m extension after posting back-to-back seasons of 14.5 and 10.5 sacks.
Lawrence did not post more than 6.5 sacks in a season after signing the deal, and will now be chasing Super Bowl success in Seattle instead.
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