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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The Seattle Seahawks are just months removed from winning their first Super Bowl in more than a decade, and they're about to lose one of the key players who helped them get there.
On Friday, Seahawks star defender DeMarcus Lawrence revealed to Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports that 2026 will be his final NFL season.
"It was a tough process," Lawrence said. "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."
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Lawrence isn't just one of the best players on the Seahawks' championship-winning defense — he's also coming off one of the best seasons of his NFL career.
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Lawrence, a second-round pick (No. 34 overall) in 2014, spent the first 11 years of his career with the Dallas Cowboys, building a reputation as one of the fiercest edge rushers in football. Over that span, he racked up 450 combined tackles, 97 tackles for loss, 126 quarterback hits, 24 forced fumbles, and 61.5 sacks, anchoring the Cowboys' defense.
He earned four Pro Bowl nods during that stretch, along with second-team All-Pro honors in 2017 after piling up 58 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 26 QB hits, four forced fumbles, and a career-high 14.5 sacks, tied for the second-most in the NFL that season.
But after an injury-riddled 2024 season in Dallas, the Cowboys chose not to re-sign him, and he took his talents to Seattle, signing a three-year, $42 million deal with the Seahawks. At that point, some may have expected him to be little more than a steady veteran presence along the line. Instead, he turned in a standout 2025 season, finishing with 53 combined tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 20 QB hits, three forced fumbles (two of which he returned for touchdowns), and six sacks — looking again like the force that made him such a problem in Dallas. By season's end, he had also won his first career Lombardi Trophy.
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At 34 years old, it's easy to see why he's ready to call it a career. He's already accomplished more than many players dream of and can ride off into the sunset on a high note. Still, given how good he looked last season, the timing of his decision is a bit surprising.
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