PHOENIX — Stephen Jones was honest about contract talks between the Cowboys and their best defensive player, DeMarcus Lawrence: A deal is nowhere close to done.



“Right now, the best way to describe it is we’re at an impasse,” Jones said Tuesday afternoon from the NFL owners meetings. “We’re apart. But certainly optimistic. No one thinks more of DeMarcus Lawrence than we do. He represents what we want on our football team, in terms of the way he plays the game. He certainly plays it at a high level. We’ll continue to chop wood.”



The gap between the sides continues to widen. According to multiple sources, Lawrence’s demands increased in the last few weeks. He went from asking for an average salary of $20 million per season to $22.5 million. Last month, the Cowboys were unwilling to give Lawrence a $20 million average, but have since increased their offer to that point. Sources indicate the Cowboys are...