Seahawks’ DeMarcus Lawrence plans to retire after 2026 season

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.