The Cowboys are preparing to head to Oxnard, California today for the start of training camp. Whether or not CeeDee Lamb attends will no doubt depend on the state of negotiations regarding an extension.
The All-Pro wideout is set to play on his fifth-year option in 2024, valued at $17.99MM. A long-term deal will cost much more, but Dallas has yet to work out an agreement with Lamb, quarterback (and fellow pending free agent) Dak Prescott or extension-eligible edge rusher Micah Parsons. The most recent update on the matter noted that Lamb is now team’s top financial priority, but nothing appears to be imminent.
Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports the Cowboys have yet to have “substantial” extension talks with Lamb to date. That comes as a notable surprise considering the importance of the 25-year-old in the Cowboys’ short- and long-term financial planning. If working out a deal with Lamb is indeed viewed as more pressing (or at least more feasible) that doing the same with Prescott, Dallas will have plenty of work to do on the negotiating front over the coming weeks.
Owner and general manager Jerry Jones expressed a desire to wait for the quarterback and receiver markets to take shape before moving forward with new deals for Prescott and/or Lamb. The latter has seen three WR deals surpass $30MM per season recently, including Justin Jefferson‘s historic $35-per-year accord. His asking price will no doubt affected by the continued upward trajectory of the position’s market, though the Cowboys are not believed to be interested in moving the bar higher on a Lamb extension.
The Oklahoma product did not take part in voluntary OTAs or mandatory minicamp. A training camp holdout is a distinct possibility, and the chances of Lamb skipping out on the start of camp would likely increase if team and player are not close to hammering out an agreement. Players who hold out from camp are subject to daily fines, but those attached to rookie contracts (like in Lamb’s case) can have those fines waived by their respective teams.
Lamb’s decision on skipping the start of camp (or attending but not taking part in drills) will be worth watching in the immediate future. With Prescott and Parsons in need of extensions as well, Dallas’ efforts in pursuing a Lamb resolution will be a central storyline for the team over the coming days and weeks.