DeMarcus Lawrence will be playing his 13th season this year, his second with the Seattle Seahawks. Last year, winning the Super Bowl made it easy to consider hanging up his cleats, and he was very nearly there. However, after an important conversation at home, Lawrence decided to run it back one more time.

When asked on Friday about when he made that decision, he said, “When my wife said it was OK.

“I kinda had my mind made up that if I won, I was done. 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.”

Lawrence is 34 years old. He spent 11 years with the Dallas Cowboys, who could not help him realize his dream of lifting the Lombardi. But at Seattle, his fate turned. The allure of staying on for some more built on, and Lawrence also played at a pretty high clip for his age.

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His 2025 tally is as follows, including postseason numbers: eight sacks, 60 combined tackles, and six forced fumbles — two returned for scores. DeMarcus Lawrence also earned the fifth Pro Bowl nod of his career.

There is also a special reason behind his return this year. Lawrence’s wife, Sasha, gave birth to their daughter right after the Super Bowl.

“Sunday Super Bowl. Monday, baby was here. There wasn’t any time to spare. That’s why I got to do it again.”

This year, the pressure won’t be solely on Lawrence to carry the Seahawks’ pass rush. Byron Murphy II, Leonard Williams, Derick Hall, and Dante Fowler Jr. are sure to draw the attention out front, so he won’t have to.

In July, Lawrence told Seattle Sports that he spent a lot of the offseason deliberating on the decision. He skipped the voluntary workouts, too, and was the only Seahawks player to do so. Lawrence assured that his absence was because he was also tending to his family in Texas, and that he still has plenty of gas in the tank left.

“Being able to reach the top and understanding that my body still has more to give, I still have more to give,” Lawrence said in May. “And also, I had the most fun I’ve ever had playing football last year. So just taking all of that into consideration, knowing what I’d be leaving behind, the chances (of retirement) were very slim.”

The idea of defending the championship also factored into his return. Lawrence said that he “didn’t want to go out the easy way,” but “go out on top with a bang to let the whole world know this wasn’t some facade.”

Over 12 seasons, DeMarcus Lawrence has racked up 503 tackles, 67.5 sacks, 24 forced fumbles, and 4 defensive touchdowns. Turns out, for Lawrence, retirement can wait; there’s still one more ring to chase.