NFL players tend to become millionaires within a few years of entering the league, but Seattle Seahawks’ defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence didn’t follow the same script. After three years into his tenure with the Dallas Cowboys, the DE somehow ended up with a negative bank balance. Lawrence talked openly about that period during a 2024 appearance on the Level Up Lifestyle podcast.

“The end of my third year, I go completely broke. I get that phone call from my accountant, and he’s like ‘Hey man, you don’t have no more money in your account,'” Lawrence recalled. “I’m like ‘What do you mean no more, like zero dollars? What are you saying?’ He’s like ‘I mean like negative $100.'”

Not long after, he got a call from his father, and the timing was rather unfortunate.

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“My dad calls me, he’s like, ‘Son, I need you to help me out, I need something,’ and I’m like, ‘Dad, man,’ I ain’t even let him finish, I’m like ‘Dad, I’m completely broke.’ He’s like ‘what do you mean? You’re in the NFL, what are you talking about?’ and I’m like ‘Dad, man, my accountant just told me I have zero dollars.’ He was like, ‘Huh? What’s going on? … Are you stupid?’”

At the time, Lawrence was with the Cowboys, and the problem wasn’t that he wasn’t getting paid. Owner Jerry Jones had picked him in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft and signed him to a solid rookie deal worth $5.5 million, which included a $2.3 million signing bonus, and paid base salaries of $420,000, $670,000, and $703,000 over his first three years.

For a rookie in 2014, that was a relatively lucrative deal, it was his overspending that put him in that spot. Moreover, once taxes, agent fees, living expenses, and everything else came out, the numbers shrank rather quickly.

DeMarcus Lawrence wasn’t the only NFL star to learn the hard way that big contracts do not always equal long-term security. Former No. 3 overall pick Vince Young, once hailed as the future of the league after winning the 2006 Offensive Rookie of the Year, also saw his fortune unravel. Despite earning more than $34 million during his career, Young filed for bankruptcy in 2014.

Things turned worse for Lawrence in 2016, when he was suspended for four games for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy after testing positive for amphetamines. Between the suspension, poor financial decisions, and a lack of understanding about money matters, things spiraled. But after that talk with his father, he realized that he had to change, and he did.

How DeMarcus Lawrence reached a net worth of $20 million

The first year of DeMarcus Lawrence’s time in Dallas was quite rocky. As a rookie, he appeared in just seven games and finished with no sacks, but showed flashes of brilliance in his sophomore year, playing all but one game and racking up eight sacks to end the year.

That momentum didn’t carry over in his third year, as he managed only one sack across nine games that season and missed four because of the suspension. He wasn’t in line to get an extension or even a tag, but a phone call with his dad changed that.

With one year left on his contract heading into the 2017 offseason, Lawrence understood this was his chance to turn things around. He finished 2017 with 58 tackles, four forced fumbles, and 14.5 sacks, even earning a Pro Bowl selection. After finishing the fourth season, Jerry Jones put a $17 million tag on him.

The DE followed it up with another strong year, posting 10.5 sacks, and earned a five-year, $105 million contract with $65 million guaranteed. When the Cowboys eventually chose not to offer another extension, Lawrence found his next chapter with the Seattle Seahawks in the 2025 offseason.

They brought him in on a three-year deal that included a $3 million signing bonus, $18 million guaranteed, and an average annual salary just over $10.8 million. Today, Lawrence’s net worth is estimated at around $20 million, having played in the NFL for 12 seasons.

Beyond the numbers, DeMarcus Lawrence has a chance to further his legacy as he plays for the Vince Lombardi Trophy on February 8th.