Seahawks DE DeMarcus Lawrence Confirms His Retirement Decision

Mark J&period; Rebilas-Imagn Images

Seahawks DE DeMarcus Lawrence Confirms His Retirement Decision

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Chris Phelps | Last updated Aug 7, 2026 9:28 PM ET

DeMarcus Lawrence and the Seattle Seahawks are set to open the 2026 NFL preseason on Saturday, August 15, hosting his former team, the Dallas Cowboys. The Seahawks are coming off a surprising yet impressive Super Bowl run in 2025, taking down the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX.

Lawrence, during his first season in Seattle, played in all regular season games at age 33, tallying 53 total tackles, six sacks, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. He even earned his fifth Pro Bowl nod, with the first four coming duing his time in Dallas. And during the Seahawks' playoff run, Lawrence put up seven tackles and two sacks.

Seattle Seahawks defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence talks to media members.Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

But despite winning his first Super Bowl in his lone season away from the Cowboys, he considered hanging up his cleats for good. However, with two years left on his three-year, $32.5 million contract, the defensive end decided to return for his 13th NFL season, eyeing a return to the Super Bowl.

With Seahawks training camp well under way, Lawrence has officially begun his second season in Seattle. And in an interview on Friday, Lawrence confirmed that he considered retiring before his decision came "when his wife said it was OK."

"I kinda had my mind made up that if I won, I was done," Lawrence said. "But I kinda had a bittersweet feeling in my heart, understanding that with the type of team that we had, we should have been where we were last year. This is where the hard part begins, staying on top."

DeMarcus Lawrence thought he would retire after winning a Super Bowl, yet he is back with the Seahawks this year thankfully! pic.twitter.com/t990WzyWDG
— Seattle ON Tap (@SeattleONTap) August 8, 2026