Star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb continues to hold out of Dallas Cowboys training camp in search of a new deal.
Lamb, coming off a 2023 season in which he led the league with 135 receptions to go along with 1,749 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns, is looking to sign a contract extension before entering what would be his final year of team control. Lamb wants to get paid like his wide receiver peers before suiting up this season.
To this point, the Cowboys haven’t budged. Owner Jerry Jones caused a bit of a stir last week when he said he didn’t have any urgency to get a deal done. Lamb responded to Jones on social media with a simple, “lol.”
Read more: CeeDee Lamb Responds to Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones’ Contract Dismissal
On Tuesday, Cowboys star defender Micah Parsons was asked about his star teammate, who has now held out for 22 days. Parsons assured reporters that Lamb was going to be a Cowboy for the foreseeable future.
“We have our talks, but at the end of the day, me and CeeDee and all of us, we kind of know what it is,” Parsons said. “CeeDee is a part of the brotherhood whether he likes it or not. He knows he’s not going nowhere. The business side, they going to take care of him. …
“I’m pretty sure he’ll be here soon, because no doubt about it, Week 1, he will be suited up for the Dallas Cowboys.”
More news: CeeDee Lamb Knows He Isn’t Leaving Cowboys, Says Micah Parsons
LANDOVER, MARYLAND – JANUARY 07: CeeDee Lamb #88 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates a touchdown during an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders at FedExField on January 7, 2024 in Landover, Maryland. Lamb is going to get even more touches this season.
Kara Durrette/Getty Images
On Wednesday, the latest update on the saga came from Cowboys Chief Operating Officer and co-owner Stephen Jones, son of Jerry.
Jones told Yahoo Sports that the team already has a plan for how they will utilize Lamb next season based on the massive contract he’s going to sign.
“He’s going to touch the ball a ton — for what we’re going to have to pay him, he better,” Jones said. “I told (head coach) Mike (McCarthy) things can’t change. He’s got to be targeted 12 to 15 times a game. You got to hand it to him a couple more times. So I don’t see that changing in the least bit. He’s our No. 1 go-to guy.”
It’s clear the Cowboys know how much they’re going to have to pay Lamb. Minnesota Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson signed a four-year, $140 million deal this offseason, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history in terms of average annual value. Lamb is likely looking for a contract around that number, potentially even higher.
Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer is unfazed by Jones’ comments and has every intention of making Lamb the focal point of the offense.
“We should and we will,” Schottenheimer told Yahoo Sports. “CeeDee is one of the few receivers where even when people know he’s getting the ball, he’s got the ability to get open. He’s just got a knack for knowing how to run routes and to beat leverage. And to beat what we call ‘bad leverage.’ I haven’t been around a guy that, when teams obviously knew the ball was gonna go to him, he still found a way to get open.”
Lamb appears ready for an even bigger year this season. However, none of that will be possible until he and the Cowboys put pen to paper on a new contract.
