Seattle Seahawks edge defender DeMarcus Lawrence told Yahoo Sports that the 2026 season will be his last.

Lawrence, 34, joined the Seahawks in March 2025 as a free agent after 11 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, then helped Seattle win Super Bowl LX in February. His family, including his wife, Sasha, and six children, still lives in Dallas, which Lawrence said was a reason he considered retiring after the 2025 season.

“It was a tough process,” Lawrence told Yahoo. “But through the grace of God, I’m able to play another year and soak it all up one more good time before I hang it up.”

Lawrence joined the Seahawks on a three-year, $32.5 million contract, with an additional $10 million available via incentives. A day later, he sparked a tiff with former Cowboys teammate Micah Parsons by saying: “Dallas is my home. I made my home there, my family is there, and I’m forever gonna be there. But I know for sure I’m not going to win a Super Bowl there.”

Lawrence did just that in Seattle, collecting two sacks, five quarterback hits, three tackles for loss and three forced fumbles in three playoff games during the Seahawks’ run to the Lombardi Trophy. That came after he had six sacks, 20 QB hits and 11 tackles for loss — plus two fumble recoveries returned for touchdowns, in the same game — during the regular season, earning Pro Bowl honors for the fifth time in his career.

A second-round pick out of Boise State in 2014, Lawrence had 61.5 sacks, 126 QB hits and 97 tackles for loss in 141 games with the Cowboys. In addition to four Pro Bowls with Dallas, he earned second-team All-Pro honors and finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2017, when he posted a career-high 14.5 sacks and 26 QB hits.

The Seahawks face the Cowboys in their preseason opener Saturday and again on “Monday Night Football” on Dec. 7, although both games are in Seattle. Lawrence did not face his former team in 2025.

Mikel Arteta says he wants to be at Arsenal and will “resolve” his contract situation despite not yet extending his deal which expires in 2027.

The Arsenal manager’s last contract extension was a three-year deal signed in September 2024.

Entering a new season without fresh terms agreed, he said: “They (the fans) don’t have to worry about any of that, because I want to be here. I am extremely happy. I feel very grateful to work with the people that I work with and when we have the possibility, we will resolve that. And that’s it.”

His current deal being confirmed in September was timely as it came after the transfer window closed and during the first international break of the season.

On whether the busy nature of the summer transfer window makes finalising a new contract more realistic after the deadline, he added: “There is always another priority, I think! And that’s the way we have been treating it, I think because everybody feels comfortable that the time on the contract is not going to be an issue.

“My will, certainly, is to be here and I am very happy here. My feeling from the club is the same one. That is why everyone is doing things in a really organic way.”

Talks have been in progress since early this year, but when Arsenal first approached Arteta’s representatives, his preference was to wait until the end of the 2025-26 season.

The Arsenal manager not extending his contract until its final year is not unusual, as the one he signed in September 2024 was set to expire in 2025. His last two contracts have both been three-year deals.

Having been in the role since December 2019, Arteta is now the longest serving manager across the 92 teams in the English Football Leagues after Pep Guardiola, who Arteta was assistant to for three and a half years, left Manchester City this summer.

On managing to lift the Premier League with his mentor still in charge of his biggest rivals, after three years of finishing second place, Arteta added: “(It was) one of the probably biggest challenges that I have faced in my career. Because I know the standards, I know that they have the background, they have the stability. They had the quality to go and do it again.

Arteta guided Arsenal to the Premier League title last season. (Michael Regan/Getty Images For Premier League)

“So it’s been a real challenge. I took it in a way that, okay, regardless of what happens, this is going to make us better. It’s pushing boundaries time after time at every level and every department of the club to try to reach this level.

“When I arrived here, I had a sense in terms of distance and years how far we were behind. Because I was there and I could witness the daily operation and the level. And to be able to win it in the time that we’ve done it, I think we should feel proud of it.”

This season, Arsenal have the chance to do something they have not done in almost 90 years by retaining the league title. They begin their campaign next Friday at home to Coventry City, after facing Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday at the Principality Stadium.

Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi are expected to be back with the squad for the game against the FA Cup winners.

Mikel Arteta has said that supporters “don’t have to worry about” his future at Arsenal as he wants to extend his contract and the time left on his deal is “not an issue”.

The Gunners boss is into the final 12 months of his agreement that he signed in 2024 but says he is relaxed about formal talks taking place regarding a renewal.

Arteta has been in charge of Arsenal since 2019 and led the club to their first Premier League title in 22 years last season.

Arsenal face Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday (15:00 BST) and Arteta was asked in his news conference about the concern some supporters may have given he is yet to agreed a new deal before the 2026-27 campaign kicks off.

“No, they don’t have to worry about any of that because I want to be here, I’m extremely happy,” Arteta said.

“I feel very grateful to work with the people that I work with and whenever we have the possibility we will resolve that and that’s it.”

The Gunners are attempting to build on their success of last season and strengthen their squad in the transfer window.

They were unsuccessful in their pursuit of Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr but have signed midfielder Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle, Greece international winger Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge and made Piero Hincapie’s loan move from Bayern Leverkusen into a permanent transfer for a combined £143.5m.

Goalkeeper Illan Meslier has also arrived on a free transfer from Leeds United while, from last season’s squad, Leandro Trossard, Jakub Kiwior and Christian Norgaard have been moved on.

The Gunners remain interested in Aston Villa‘s Ezri Konsa or Jarell Quansah of Bayer Leverkusen as a further defensive reinforcement in the market following injuries to William Saliba and Jurrien Timber.

With the transfer window open until 1 September, the feeling at the club is that finalising a contract can come at a quieter period in the season.

“There’s always another priority I think and that’s the way we’ve been treating it. Arteta added.

“I think because everybody feels comfortable that the time on the contract is not going to be an issue.

“I think because my will certainly is to be here and I’m very happy here.

“And my feeling from the club is is the same one so I think that’s why everybody doing it things in a really organic way.”

Arsenal also reached the Champions League final last season where they were beaten by Paris St-Germain and Arteta has repeatedly spoken of his ambition since that loss to take the Gunners to next level.

“I’m not going to talk about any individuals, obviously what I can tell you is the ambition of the club.” Arteta said.

“It’s big that we want to improve the squad, we want to evolve the squad in order to achieve that.

“We have obviously detected some areas that they can be strengthened and that’s what we are trying to do.”