CeeDee Lamb made his intentions clear that he wants to add more zeroes to his salary by not showing up to the Dallas Cowboys OTAs. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler provided an update as to where the two parties currently stand in the negotiations.
Lamb had a record-breaking 2023 season for the Cowboys. He led the league with 135 receptions for 1749 yards and racked up 12 touchdowns, becoming the Cowboys single-season record holder for both receptions and receiving yards.
2024 will be the last year of his rookie contract, leading to the speculations of a blockbuster deal. However, hardly anyone was certain how much money was suited to Lamb’s output.
While appearing on Sunday’s segment of ESPN’s SportsCenter, Fowler disclosed that CeeDee Lamb is waiting for the Minnesota Vikings to pay Justin Jefferson. He reportedly was okay with the waiting game.
The wideout market has reset after back-to-back massive deals. First, the Detroit Lions paid Amon-Ra St. Brown four year $120 million deal, then the Philadelphia Eagles made AJ Brown the highest-paid receiver in the league with a three-year $96 million extension.
#Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb is okay with waiting on contract talks, wanting to wait for Justin Jefferson to sign his deal, per @jfowlerespn
CeeDee could be aiming to surpass Jefferson’s deal. pic.twitter.com/ixbs18dRmP— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) May 26, 2024
If the Cowboys owner Jerry Jones goes for a new deal right now then the benchmark would be close to the Eagles receiver. So, waiting for Jefferson to receive a new contract might be the game. Spotrac estimated that the LSU graduate could pen a deal worth $32.5 million in the coming days.
Stephen Jones knew CeeDee Lamb would wait for Justin Jefferson to get a deal
The Cowboys executive has faced flak from several football analysts, including Ryan Clark and Mina Kimes for not paying both Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott. However, Jones has remained steadfast in his decision to remain a keen observer of the situation.
In an interview with ESPN’s Todd Archer, executive vice president Stephen Jones disclosed that there was a waiting game in progress from Lamb, observing how much Jefferson gets paid.
You don't think the representatives of Jefferson and CeeDee and Ja’Marr Chase. They're not ready to come in here. Same thing with Micah [Parsons]. Same thing with Dak [Prescott]. It's a little cat and mouse. Stephen Jones said per Archer
The Cowboys’ biggest concern currently is Prescott’s contract which counts $55.4 million against the salary cap. While the three-time Pro Bowler has been attending the training camp, both Lamb and Parsons remain a no-show.
This could go on until the new season starts. However, it would not have been a problem if the Vikings drafted Malik Nabers which then would have given them the freedom to release Jefferson.
