CeeDee Lamb is one of the most important players for the Dallas Cowboys. The franchise didn’t make any drastic efforts to revamp its offense this offseason, leaving Lamb and Dak Prescott with a lot on their shoulders heading into the regular season in September.
However, even though the Cowboys clearly need Lamb to have a successful season, owner and general manager Jerry Jones recently said that there is no “sense of urgency” to sign Lamb’s deal. Lamb has missed camp and the preseason opener as he awaits a new deal.
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Lamb missed the Cowboys’ first preseason game and will be missing the second one as well, as he is not traveling with the team to Las Vegas for their matchup against the Raiders.
According to a report by The Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys had a word with Lamb before the team departed for their second preseason game. Dallas hopes to finalize a deal with the star wide receiver.
The Cowboys have reportedly offered Lamb a deal worth “slightly under $33 million” per season. This would make him the second-highest-paid WR in the NFL after Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson, who signed a four-year deal worth $140 million this offseason, which translates to a $35 million per year contract.
Lamb, the former No. 17 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, had an electric season last year, as he led all players with 135 receptions and 680 yards after the catch while also totaling 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns.
While Cowboys COO Stephen Jones stated at one point that Lamb is expecting to be the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league, it seems like his ideas have changed, and he just wants to be in a similar range as Jefferson.
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After facing some backlash over his no-urgency comment, Jones made it clear that even if Lamb was with the team right now, he wouldn’t be playing any snaps during the preseason games, as they wouldn’t want him to risk getting hurt ahead of the regular season.
Owing to his contract holdout, Lamb has not shown up to any offseason training sessions, but that doesn’t concern head coach Mike McCarthy, as he said Lamb’s a “workout fanatic” and after the business part of the game is settled, they’ll focus on football.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott also shared that Lamb is “itching and working” as he awaits his contract and wants to get back with the boys as soon as possible.