Dallas Cowboys training camp is over, but the drama that has been hanging over the franchise all summer might not be ending anytime soon.
Cowboys star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb held out throughout training camp and has not played in the preseason, in search of a long-term contract extension ahead of entering the final year of his current deal.
Lamb, 25, is set to collect upwards of $17.9 million against the cap this season, should he wind up playing out the upcoming campaign on his fifth-year option.
Latest Update on CeeDee Lamb’s Dallas Cowboys Contract Talks
Already emerging as one of the most prolific receivers in the sport, Lamb is hoping to sign a contract that pays him in the neighborhood of Justin Jefferson’s new four-year deal worth $140 million, if not completely reset the market.
However, this expensive game of chicken between Lamb and the Cowboys seems to have no end in sight.
“[Jerry] Jones talked about needing to see more leaves fall around the time of the draft,” The Athletic‘s Dallas Cowboys reporter Saad Yousuf writes. “Which was before OTAs or mandatory minicamps. Those workouts came and went, with Lamb not present.
Now, a full month of training camp is in the books, and Lamb never touched the field in Oxnard. When Jones spoke about leaves falling, the sense was he was referring to the pending new deals for Jefferson in Minnesota and Chase in Cincinnati. Jefferson’s deal with the Vikings came down over two months ago, setting the framework for what a Lamb deal should look like. Whether the holdup is the total value of the contract or guaranteed money or something else, there’s no good explanation for it not to be done already.”
Given Lamb’s track record and consistent production, it’s difficult to imagine what more Jones would need to see to make him one of the league’s highest-paid receivers.
Through four seasons, Lamb has caught 395 passes for 5,145 yards and 32 touchdowns, including surpassing double-digit touchdown receptions for the first time and posting a career-high 1,749 yards last season.
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