JULY 26: Walking back his comments about Lamb a bit Friday, Stephen Jones said (via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill) the fifth-year wide receiver is not “dug in” on becoming the league’s highest-paid non-quarterback. Not too much wiggle room exists here, as it would stand to reason Lamb will want to collect more than Brown ($32MM AAV, $84MM guaranteed) did earlier this year. This matter figures to come down to how Lamb’s contract compares to Jefferson’s, with a sizable guarantee gap existing between the Eagles and Vikings receiver extensions.
JULY 25: Beginning their training camp, the Cowboys have not completed any extensions with their top players just yet. A report earlier this week indicated not much progress has emerged with CeeDee Lamb, who is holding out. Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons are in attendance in Oxnard, Calif., but they join Lamb in one of the more interesting contract quandaries in many years.
Parsons said earlier this summer he expected to become the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback when he signs an extension, though the Cowboys have some time with the 2021 draftee due to the fifth-year option. Lamb is heading into his fifth-year option season, and Cowboys COO Stephen Jones shed some light on the team’s negotiations with the All-Pro wide receiver. Lamb joins Parsons in angling to become the NFL’s highest-paid non-QB, per the second-generation NFL exec.
[RELATED: The Cowboys’ Contract Dilemma]
While Jones stopped short of naming names (via the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins), it is not difficult to learn which players the Dallas bigwig was referencing. Lamb said in January he wanted to be the NFL’s highest-paid wide receiver. The landscape has changed since those comments, with three more wideouts — Amon-Ra St. Brown, A.J. Brown and Justin Jefferson — crossing the $30MM-per-year barrier. The guarantees in Jefferson’s record-smashing $35MM-per-year deal ($110MM in total, $88.7MM full) far eclipsed previous records, and they have certainly complicated Cowboys-Lamb talks.
Dallas did not enter serious negotiations with Lamb last year, as the Vikings also waited until Year 5 — the norm for first-round wideouts until this offseason, when DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle received early extensions — with Jefferson. The Minnesota contract moves the bar for the Cowboys, who have never guaranteed more than $40MM (Amari Cooper) for a receiver. In Dallas’ defense, only 10 wideouts are tied to deals that contained $40MM at signing.
Jones called having three players who could set the market at their positions “not easy,” and Lamb could still be franchise-tagged in 2025. Though, the fifth-year wideout is attempting to force the issue by holding out; Zack Martin did so and succeeded last year. A tag is off the table for Prescott, who holds tremendous leverage with no-tag and no-trade clauses. Prescott’s monster cap number ($55.13MM) this year and void years-driven $40.13MM dead money figure for 2025 give him rare ammo to use against a team also dealing with Lamb and Parsons.
Although the ninth-year QB could maneuver his way to free agency fairly easily, Jerry Jones does not believe 2024 will be Prescott’s Dallas finale. A $60MM-per-year price tag has been rumored for Dak, who may soon have more to work with should the Jordan Love and Tua Tagovailoa deals cross the goal lines in Green Bay and Miami soon.
“Just to be very specific. I do not think this will be his last year with the Cowboys, at all,” Jones said, via The Athletic’s Jon Machota (subscription required). “I want to say if it hasn’t been clear — of how much we appreciate what Dak Prescott has meant to this team in a positive way. The players do play better when he’s out there. He does make his teammates play at a higher level there’s no question about it. So I’m right there in line with his best fan.”
Differing reports have come out regarding whether Prescott or Lamb is the team’s immediate priority. It would stand to reason Prescott would be due to his unique situation, as Lamb can still be tagged. The Cowboys are believed to be set to make their longtime starter a strong offer, one that would drop his record-setting (along with Deshaun Watson and other QBs this year) cap number and give the Cowboys some security.
Prescott prefers to stay in Dallas as well, though the 2023 second-team All-Pro stopped short of guaranteeing his career will unfold entirely with the franchise. As legendary figures like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Joe Montana and countless other greats have shown, of course, QBs regularly do not go wire-to-wire with the teams that drafted them. Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman and Tony Romo did, though.
“I’m gonna say it. I want to be here, but when you look [it] up, all the other great quarterbacks that I watched played for other teams [than their first team],” Prescott said, via Yahoo’s Charles Robinson. “… That’s not something to fear.”
Prescott, 30, has not been afraid to maximize his leverage; it took three offseasons for him to sign his current four-year, $160MM contract. Hinting at a future departure is not out of character, and the Cowboys will need to make a whopping offer to ensure they keep their former fourth-round find off next year’s market, where a host of suitors would await.
I can see extending Dak. I’m not sure he’s worth it, but cap hit wise, he’s got them over a barrel.
Lamb has a 5th year contract and can be tagged. I wouldn’t extend him. Let him walk in 2 years.
I think Parsons is the interesting case. His deal will depend on where the Cowboys are cap wise I guess.
Not many good options with Dak. I’d let Lamb walk and focus on Parsons.
If I had to pick one to let walk it would be lamb as well. I’m not a big fan Prescott fan either. I think that he needs to prove it in the playoffs first. I would let him play out the year.
The truth is Dak is 30 and doesn’t have much a post season record; time to move on after this season. Good for football fans, Jerry will double down on Dak and overpay him!
I am 100% behind paying Parsons . I also agree Jerry will find away to screw this up and over pay Dax or do something else dumb.
If Jerry were 10 years younger, I could see parting ways with Dak. Lets face it, he’s really old. Does he have time on his hands to draft then develop the latest collegiate hotshot? Go with what you know, Jerry.
lol Dak stealing money at this point
Is it even a winning strategy to have the most elite rookie players at non-qb positions? The 9ers and chiefs didn’t have that. The Rams didn’t have that. First thought would be, “of course you want the very best players on rookie contracts”, but these days they’re causing locker room and cap problems as early as year 3. It’s almost like you want a bunch of WR 10-25 and RB 8-15 types on their rookie contract and ofc a stud QB at any price
The Chiefs just won a Super Bowl with a good rookie WR and the rest who gave away as many TDs as they scored. I think you can live without a top paid WR.
Dak 60 a year, Parsons 30 a year, Lamb 30 a year. Not much less to build a team. KC has MaHomes. Dak isn’t even half that kind of talent. Jerry won’t see another SB and for some reason is okay with all the playoff failures. Jerry getting soft in his old age. Zero sense of urgency
As long as you have a top ranked D and Patrick Mahommes
sP 3… Yep. Having the best QB in the game is how you get away with a middling WR group.
CeeDee Lamb puts up some impressive numbers, but he disappears in the big games.
So…people would rather pay what is by most peoples’ count possibly the third or fourth best receiver in the league top non-QB money, and let a franchise QB walk instead? I don’t get that. Replace Prescott’s name with a blank space, keep the same resume, and you’ll have an easily extendable player at a position that the NFL has made untouchably critical. Lamb is the most tradeable, even as a rental for a playoff team, and of the three players discussed, the least accomplished and least critical position-wise.
That is NOT to say that Lamb isn’t accomplished or talented. He certainly, categorically is. However, he plays a position that has the most crowded room per team of any in football, and wants top money (not just for his position, but any position) despite clearly not being the best in the league. The bottom line is this: It’s going to be easier to find a lead receiver in a draft than it is finding a truly generational pass rusher or a franchise quarterback. Even if you think that Dak is average (which is one of those Kirk Cousins-esque fallacies that fans can’t let ho off due to personal biases that I cannot begin to fathom), the chances of finding even an average franchise starter are much lower than those of finding a really good wide receiver. Ideally, the Cowboys would retain Lamb, but if he is pushing these demands to stay in Dallas, he should lose out to the two more critical players in Prescott and Parsons. Lamb can flourish with a new quarterback elsewhere if traded, and Dallas can at least recoup some of the loss while using that money for more than one player. Already this strategy has cost them a few good players. If the Cowboys retain all three at their desired prices, they’ll forfeit more future opportunities because of it. A single quarterback might influence the game because he touches the ball on almost every snap, and a generational defensive talent is a once in a lifetime player. A really good, even great, wideout influences the game less than either of those. They just don’t touch the ball as much as the QB and don’t affect the offense most snaps like the edge defender. For that reason, I’d consider Lamb by far the most expendable.
Dak has shown he isn’t a playoff QB. How many more trips to the playoffs to show this? Parsons and Lamb should be the priorities. JJ playing hardball with players again. He doesn’t give a sh!t. Dallas was built with strong OL and DL. That wins games but not SBs
I just don’t see how you top the market on three guys and build a Super Bowl winner around that. Dak has so much leverage at this point I really don’t know where he could push the market too. Lawrence got 55 on the hoped he progresses into “the guy”. Dak has worked hard to structure his deal the way he has I don’t see him giving that up for Lawrence money. Lack of post season success or not Daks all they have. They can’t tag him or trade him if he hits the market someone will pay him 60+ and the Cowboys will still have a big dead money hit. They didn’t draft accordingly I think they have to let Lamb or Parsons go and draft really well in 25 to keep having a shot. They won’t be bad enough to have a high QB draft choice I think they have to meet Daks demands. They made their bed waiting on the market to balloon should have saw that coming honestly