Stephen Jones says Cowboys' negotiations with Demarcus Lawrence are at an 'impasse'

Lawrence wants Khalil Mack money, but the Cowboys don't think he's there

Demarcus Lawrence's standoff with the Cowboys doesn't seem to be going away any time soon after the team placed the franchise tag on the star pass rusher. Lawrence is reportedly holding off on getting shoulder surgery until he gets a long-term deal, but the Cowboys don't seem to want to blink.

Per The Athletic:

"Right now, the best way to describe it is we're at an impasse," Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones said Tuesday afternoon from the NFL owners meetings. "We're apart. But certainly optimistic. No one thinks more of Demarcus Lawrence than we do. He represents what we want on our football team, in terms of the way he plays the game. He certainly plays it at a high level. We'll continue to chop wood."

Also problematic for the Cowboys: the top of the edge rusher market, where Khalil Mack cashed in before the 2018 season.

"You have the top two guys at the top, and I'm sure that's why we're struggling here a little bit," Jones told the team's official website. "There's a delta between the top two guys and where the rest of the edge rushers and pressure players have been paid up to this point."

Mack was signed to a six-year, $141 million contract (an average of $23.5 million) by the Bears last season, with $60 million guaranteed. Per The Athletic, Lawrence's offers have gone as high as six years, $120 million (an average of $20 million a year), but Lawrence is asking for up to $22.5 million per season.

"Historically, we've been able to sign our players," Jones said. "We'll see. It's a negotiation. Those things can take time. At the same time, we're motivated to get something done, and hopefully at some point we'll get some momentum going."

Lawrence's franchise tag would be $20.5 million this season, but with him delaying his shoulder surgery, he seems to have no intention to sign it. Lawrence has 25 sacks in the past two seasons with the Cowboys, and despite his nagging shoulder injury he hasn't missed a game in the past two years.

Defensive line is a cause for concern for the Cowboys, so Lawrence will undoubtedly remain a high priority. If Lawrence continues to push back his shoulder surgery, that could also become a sticking point in negotiations as the offseason drags on.