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Seahawks pass rusher Demarcus Lawrence: 2026 season 'will be my last year'

Seahawks pass rusher Demarcus Lawrence has announced that he will retire after the 2026 season.

First seen Aug 14, 2026 · 11:33 PM UTC · last updated Aug 15 1:02 AM

Scoring Zone's Take

Demarcus Lawrence's announcement that 2026 will be his final NFL season is more of a career-arc storyline than an immediate fantasy signal, but it's worth filing away as you build your draft board. This is not an injury in the traditional sense despite the tag—there's no indication of a physical setback here, just a stated retirement timeline. For fantasy purposes, Lawrence remains an IDP-only or deep-league consideration at best; standard-format rosters won't be touching him regardless.

The real value of this news is context for IDP and dynasty-adjacent formats. Knowing this is a farewell campaign could cut two ways: some veterans lock in and produce a strong final season with nothing left to prove, while others see snap-share erosion as teams start grooming succession pieces at the position. Watch Seattle's summer reports and depth-chart chatter closely—if the Seahawks begin rotating in a young edge rusher for reps, that's the signal to fade Lawrence's remaining IDP ceiling and pivot to whoever is angling for looming snaps.

Actionable takeaway for draft prep: in IDP leagues, Lawrence is a late-round flier at most, not a player to reach for. In redraft standard/PPR formats, he's a non-factor and shouldn't occupy a roster spot. Confidence in the retirement timeline itself is high given the direct sourcing, but confidence in what it means for his 2026 usage and production is low—there's nothing in this report about snaps, health, or role change. Treat this as a note to monitor training camp usage rather than a reason to move him up or down your board today.

Seahawks pass rusher Demarcus Lawrence: 2026 season 'will be my last year'

Seattle Seahawks pass rusher Demarcus Lawrence recently said the allure of entering a season with a target on the team's back as Super Bowl champs convinced him to return for a 13th campaign.

Regardless of if Seattle proves able to repeat, it now appears 2026 will be Lawrence's final run.

"This will be my last year," Lawrence told Yahoo's Jori Epstein on Friday.

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Lawrence has played 12 years in the NFL with great success, but only last season reached the pinnacle of his career by helping the Seahawks hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

A 2014 second-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys, Lawrence has 157 career appearances (139 starts), with 503 tackles, 67.5 sacks, 146 quarterback hits, 108 tackles for loss , 24 forced fumbles, 11 fumble recoveries. He's made five Pro Bowls, including last year as a Seahawk, his first with the club after 11 years rocking the star on his helmet.

He showed he still had plenty in the tank for Seattle, as his three fumble recoveries -- two of which he returned for scores -- marked a career high. His six sacks finished one behind the joint team leaders, Byron Murphy, Leonard Williams and Uchenna Nwosu. He also forced another three fumbles and added a pair of sacks in the playoffs.

The 2026 season that is now expected to serve as his last will provide Lawrence a platform to add to his totals.

"It was a tough process," Lawrence told Epstein. "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."

There's much more to Lawrence's upcoming season than a ceremonial victory lap to a stellar career, though. The Seahawks are locked and loaded for a Super Bowl defense, hoping the story ends with Lawrence riding into the sunset wearing two championship rings.

Coverage from Nfl Dot Com News · by Bobby Kownack · Aug 14, 2026 · read original