AUGUST 16: Lamb and the Cowboys spoke over the phone on Thursday in another attempt to finalize an agreement, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports. His update confirms the team’s best offer is under $33MM per season, but it would be enough to surpass A.J. Brown‘s new Eagles pact ($32MM AAV) for second in the receiver pecking order. Notably, Watkins adds that the 25-year-old’s exact asking price is still not known. With no firm deadline in place on a Prescott resolution, efforts to end Lamb’s holdout will no doubt continue in the immediate future.

AUGUST 15: As training camp continues, attention for the Cowboys is still aimed at negotiations on the Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb fronts. The latter is holding out as he seeks out a deal near the top of the receiver market, but Dallas has yet to reach that level on an extension offer.

Lamb was previously connected to an asking price which would make him the league’s highest-paid non-quarterback, but that may not be necessary to get a deal over the finish line. Justin Jefferson set the market with a $35MM-per-year Vikings extension, and any Lamb accord will no doubt come close to that figure. However, Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports the Cowboys’ offers to date have yet to reach an AAV of $33MM.

The latest update on the matter pointed to a Lamb extension being closer than a Prescott one, but Hill’s report confirms there is still work to be done for either to be finalized. Lamb skipped offseason workouts and has accumulated daily fines (which can be waived) by remaining absent from training camp. Owner Jerry Jones‘ comments about Lamb’s ongoing absence drew a quick social media response from the All-Pro, but efforts are ongoing to work out an agreement.

“We’re conscientiously working to get something done,” Jones confirmed (via ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry). “I don’t want to say anything is progress, but it’s ongoing and that’s just the nature of what you have when you’ve got an agreement and you’re still working to get a new one.”

Jefferson’s pact includes nearly $89MM in guarantees, and a similar figure will likely be a target for Lamb on a long-term pact. The next-highest locked in figure for wideouts is Tyreek Hill‘s new Dolphins pact ($54MM), so Lamb will look to bridge that gap. The Oklahoma alum cemented his status as one of the league’s top receivers and the focal point of Dallas’ offense in 2023 by posting a franchise record-breaking 135-1,749-12 statline.

Of course, any monster investment made in Lamb needs to have a Prescott deal (which could top $55MM per year) and a future Micah Parsons extension in mind. The Cowboys’ 2024 hopes will rest heavily on the play of that trio, but uncertainty continues to loom over its members’ long-term futures. In Lamb’s case in particular, it will be interesting to see if traction is gained by subsequent Dallas offers in the coming days.

With none of Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb or Micah Parsons having been extended this offseason, questions remain regarding their respective Cowboys futures. Owner Jerry Jones addressed one of the team’s contract situations at practice on Thursday.

“I don’t expect not to have CeeDee Lamb,” Jones said when asked about the record-breaking wideout’s regular season availability (via ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry). “I don’t have a sense of urgency about getting [an extension] done,” he added.

Lamb himself is among those who offered a quick reaction to Jones’ comments on social media. The All-Pro continues to engage in a training camp holdout while negotiations on an extension continue. Team and player have been in contact recently, although nothing appears to be imminent with respect to an agreement being reached. While too much could be read into Jones’ remark, it at least ensures he is not concerned about Lamb’s absence continuing into the preseason.

The 25-year-old has been away from the team throughout the offseason. Lamb is attached to his rookie contract (by virtue of the fifth-year option), and as a result the mandatory daily fines he is accumulating can be waived by the Cowboys once a deal is in place. The Oklahoma product has been connected to an asking price which would make him the league’s highest-paid receiver (and non-quarterback), although it may take less than $35MM per season to get him back in the fold.

Dallas has made an offer as recently as late July, and Jones has made it clear in the past several months he is willing to remain patient on the Lamb front. That has remained the case for Prescott and Parsons, and the latter’s pending mega-deal is being taken into account even though he is still on the books for two more years. The Cowboys’ cap situation for years to come will depend on how things shake out with that trio, but it appears more time will elapse before any tangible movement is seen on the contract front with at least one of its members.

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.

A report from one month ago indicated the Cowboys’ top priority with respect to their three pending monster extensions would be quarterback Dak Prescott. That came as no surprise, considering the market at that position compared to those of edge rushers and receivers.

Micah Parsons is on the books for two more years, so his contract status is less pressing than that of Prescott or CeeDee Lamb. The latter has been linked to a training camp holdout in the absence of an agreement, but progress on that front is on the team’s radar. Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports Lamb – not Prescott – is Dallas’ No. 1 financial priority at the moment.

Prescott is set to attend the beginning of training camp next week regardless of where things stand with respect to his extension. Lamb’s decision on that front has not been made, though, Watkins adds. The Oklahoma alum has been expected to engage in a holdout for quite some time, considering he skipped voluntary OTAs as well as mandatory minicamp during the spring. Missing practices this summer would result in daily fines, though by virtue of being attached to his fifth-year option Lamb could see those fines waived by the team.

Such a move would come after an extension agreement were to be worked out, and talks on big-ticket deal have long been known to be high on Dallas’ to-do list. Lamb is scheduled to earn $17.99MM in 2024, but a long-term accord will come in at a much higher price tag. The top of the receiver market witnessed plenty of movement this spring, with Justin Jefferson attaining an average annual value of $35MM on his Vikings extension (becoming the league’s top earner for non-QBs in the process). Cowboys owner Jerry Jones previously stated an intention of waiting on similar deals to fall into place before authorizing Lamb and/or Prescott pacts.

Earlier this week, Stephen Jones confirmed talks with Prescott’s camp are ongoing while maintaining the team’s stance on hoping to retain Lamb and Parsons as well. Keeping all three in the fold beyond 2024 will be difficult given the cap implications a new deal for each will have in the short- and long-term future. Lamb’s importance to the team’s offense cannot be understated, though, of course.

The 25-year-old broke franchise records in receptions (135) and yards (1,749) last season, leading the NFL in both categories. Veteran Brandin Cooks resides as Dallas’ No. 2 wideout, and the team has a number of relatively unproven options beyond him on the depth chart. Lamb’s willingness to attend training camp will remain a key story to follow in the coming days, but his stance in that regard will obviously change if a deal is struck shortly.