The Seattle Seahawks are back on top, and so is their recruiting department.
Before making a decision in free agency, Dante Fowler Jr. was pitched the most promising offer of all from DeMarcus Lawrence: a legitimate shot to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy with the Seahawks.
Lawrence, who went to Seattle last year after 11 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, played a big part in helping to bring Fowler to the Emerald City. The 34-year-old defensive end made an intriguing offer for his former Cowboys teammate,
luring Fowler away from Dallas in pursuit of another championship.
“If you want to win a Super Bowl, you should come here,” Fowler said, relaying Lawrence’s message (via Seahawks.com).
Lawrence and Fowler spent two seasons as teammates on the Cowboys from 2022 to 2023 before Fowler signed with the Washington Commanders for 2024. As Fowler departed to join a division rival, Lawrence soon realized that his chances of winning a Super Bowl in Dallas were dwindling, incentivizing him to seek other options in free agency.
“Dallas is my home,” Lawrence said last year. “I made my home there, my family lives there. I’m forever gonna be there. But I know for sure I’m not gonna win a Super Bowl there.”
Despite being on different teams for the last two years, the bond between Lawrence and Fowler is as strong as ever. As Fowler made his signing official last week, he reflected on the time they spent together as teammates on the Cowboys and Lawrence’s impact as a player.
“It was amazing, just to be able to play with him for the past couple of years,” Fowler said (via NFL.com). “The legacy he left (in Dallas), when he left, it was a big thing, and to see him come here and see how great he played — he was very healthy, he took this defense to another level, and he won a Super Bowl, something that he has been talking about since I met him. So it was really cool to watch him in that position.”
In addition to Lawrence, Fowler will also be reuniting with Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde, whose three seasons as the Cowboys’ defensive line coach partially overlapped with Fowler’s first stint with the team. Durde spent three seasons working under defensive coordinator Dan Quinn from 2021 to 2023, following the former Seattle DC over from Atlanta, where he found himself on the same team with Fowler in 2020.
All of the pieces are seemingly lining up, with old bonds and friendships coming together once again for another title push. Perhaps being in the same organization as Lawrence and Durde will be among the many highlights for Fowler this season, who looks to reach the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2018 season.
