It is possible, however outlandish it might seem now, that the Cowboys and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb will continue their game of contract chicken into NFL training camp, have it morph into a holdout from Lamb and ultimately create so much negative energy that Cowboys brass finally decides to chuck it all in and simply trade Lamb elsewhere.
Longshot, no doubt. But also possible.
Lamb did not show up for mandatory practices last week, and could be fined around $100,000 for the decision. Those fines will continue if he goes into training camp without a new deal, at which time it is a safe bet that Lamb will continue to be a no-show holdout.
As long as the tumult continues, there will be the chance—however slim—of a trade. It is in that spirit that Bleacher Report put forth a post titled, “4 Trade Packages for CeeDee Lamb That Cowboys Couldn’t Deny amid NFL Holdout,” featuring packages from the Patriots, Steelers, Chargers and Packers. And while the offers are all interesting in their own way, we can safely assume that the Cowboys could, certainly, deny each one for a player of Lamb’s caliber.
Cowboys Could Get 2-for-1, Plus a Pick
The Packers offer is probably the best of the bunch, because it offers the Cowboys—who are decidedly thin at receiver behind Lamb—two players who have the potential to develop into stars. The offer goes:
Cowboys get Romeo Doubs or Christian Watson, plus Jayden Reed and a 2025 second-round pick
Packers get CeeDee Lamb
The appeal for the Cowboys is obvious. Both Doubs and Watson have shown the potential to be No. 1 receivers in the NFL. Doubs caught 59 passes for 674 yards and eight touchdowns last year, and Cowboys fans surely remember the six catches for 151 yards and a touchdown he put up against Dallas in the playoffs.
Watson has a higher ceiling and is one of the fastest players in the league (4.37 40-yard dash in college). But Watson has been plagued by hamstring injuries in his career, which has been limited to 20 games in two seasons.
Reed is the bigger prize, as he excelled from the slot in his rookie season and would fill Lamb’s role, only without the mega-contract.
Here’s what writer Brad Gagnon had to say about it: “We’re presenting the idea of Dallas landing one primary slot guy to more directly replace Lamb (Jayden Reed) along with one of two talented but generally disappointing outside figures.
“All come cheap right now, and the Cowboys would be foolish to turn away from them as well as some Day 2 draft capital ahead of such an odd-looking season.”
CeeDee Lamb May Match Justin Jefferson
Lamb is still waiting for a new contract to materialize with the Cowboys, a process that should get a jump start now that the other major franchise receiver, Justin Jefferson, has agreed to a deal with the Vikings.
Jefferson signed a four-year, $140 million contract this week, making him the league’s highest-paid wide receiver. It is unclear if Lamb will insist on getting more than Jefferson, or will take a contract worth a notch below. Most likely, he will wind up in the same ballpark, perhaps with less guaranteed money.
Lamb and Jefferson might well be neck-and-neck as the best receivers in football, or at least the best in the NFC. He is coming off a year in which he led the league with 135 receptions and totaled 1,749 yards. In all, he has averaged 78.0 yards per game in his career, and had 102.9 yards per game last season.
Lamb was tied for fourth at Pro Football Focus among grades for 2023 wide receivers, with a 91.2. That was behind Tyreek Hill, who earns an average of $30 million per year, Brandon Aiyuk and Amon-Ra St. Brown. He was tied with Nico Collins and Jefferson.
