Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones spoke earlier this offseason about waiting for leaves to fall before committing money to his star players waiting for new deals. Well, it’s beginning to look like New England in late Fall in Frisco, Texas, with the latest Justin Jefferson news.
With the Minnesota Vikings signing Jefferson to a market-setting deal, one beneficiary looks to be Cowboys’ star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who now may be the next NFL pass catcher to ink a new contract.
Is CeeDee Lamb Next To Extend After Justin Jefferson?
This offseason has seen the likes of Amon-Ra St. Brown, A.J. Brown, and Jaylen Waddle sign new deals that have put them all within the top five of highest-paid NFL wide receivers.
Lamb has stayed away from voluntary workouts this offseason, with many believing the reason is rooted around the desire for a new deal. Now, the Cowboys’ star receiver could be the next to sign the dotted line.
Dallas has made it clear that signing Lamb is a priority for them. They just were okay with waiting for other dominoes, or leaves as Jones chose to say, to fall before doing so.
“We’d like to see more leaves fall. Sometimes timing keeps you from making a mistake,” Jones said in April while meeting with the media before the 2024 NFL Draft. He got what he was looking for as the tree is just about out of leaves now.
Jefferson’s latest deal will pay him $140 million over four years, a market-setting number. With that, the benchmark has been set for Lamb and his representatives to come to the table as a starting point.
It’s fairly common for a player’s new contract to set the stage for a comparable player at the same position. In 2015, for example, after the Cowboys signed WR Dez Bryant to a four-year, $70 million deal, the Denver Broncos agreed to a new deal with WR Demaryius Thomas for $100,000 more less than an hour later.
Does anybody remember when Dez Bryant got paid then Demariyus Thomas got like 100k more, less than an hour later? I wouldn’t be surprised to see that happen again here lol. #DallasCowboys
— Tony Catalina (@Tony_Catalina) June 3, 2024
When and how this all works itself out is still to be determined. Still, there is at least a precedent for how quickly this could all come together for Lamb, especially with mandatory minicamp starting this week. It would then cost him money, as he would be fined if he remained absent.
Why Lamb Is Deserving of a Massive Contract
Looking at the numbers Lamb has put up in his young career, it’s easy to see why he was fine with waiting until Jefferson got paid to go back to the negotiating table. Jefferson is widely viewed as the best receiver in football, but there’s a case to be made for Lamb as well…the production compared isn’t all that far off.
CeeDee Lamb, who has been in discussions with the Cowboys about a new deal, is having himself a day. pic.twitter.com/dnkD4pHeD1
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 3, 2024
The star receivers have been nearly identical in all major categories. Jefferson has three All-Pro nods compared to Lamb’s two, with both having three trips to the Pro Bowl.
Lamb has 395 receptions compared to Jefferson’s 392, while Jefferson has Lamb in receiving yards at 5,899 to 5,145. Meanwhile, in touchdowns, Lamb gets the nod with 35 total compared to Jefferson’s 31.
No one has batted an eyelash over Jefferson getting record-breaking money, and when looking at the numbers between the two WRs, if Lamb were to come in slightly north of Jefferson, no one should find that ridiculous either.
#DallasCowboys WR CeeDee Lamb has a TD in 9️⃣ straight games 🔥
This is the longest streak by an #NFL wideout since A.J. Green in 2012 (9).
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) January 7, 2024
Dak Prescott or Micah Parsons Up Next After Lamb?
Lamb looks to be the first of the Cowboys’ stars to get paid, with his timeline sped up. But the question of who gets paid next is a little less clear.
One would think because Dak Prescott is in the final year of his deal and the QB position is one you don’t want to play contractual games with, he would be next. But it’s not a given.
“[The Cowboys] are all in on re-signing Dak Prescott. They just haven’t shown it yet.” 😅 @JFowlerESPN said he was told behind the scenes the Cowboys don’t want Dak Prescott to hit free agency in 2025. pic.twitter.com/L3G0yXdrba
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) May 31, 2024
Both Prescott and the Cowboys brass have stated that they plan to keep the quarterback around long term, but their actions haven’t matched their words in terms of a new deal yet. There’s still much belief that it will get done, but until it does, the rumblings around the situation will continue to grow.
As for Micah Parsons, his situation is a little less dire. With two full years left on his contract and him just becoming extension-eligible this offseason, there’s still time to sort out Parsons’ deal. However, with Dallas continuously finding itself playing catch-up with these things, getting out ahead of Parsons and his soon-to-be mega deal may not be a bad idea.
Parsons is expected to have a massive contract that could change the landscape financially for his position. And if the Cowboys can jump on it early, it may save them several millions.