Dallas Cowboys Face Contract Dilemma with CeeDee Lamb Holdout
Dallas Cowboys Face Contract Dilemma with CeeDee Lamb Holdout
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has stirred up a storm surrounding wide receiver CeeDee Lamb's ongoing holdout. As preseason games loom, Jones raised eyebrows by stating he lacks a sense of urgency towards finalizing a new contract with Lamb. This perceived nonchalance, however, comes with significant monetary implications for the star receiver.
Lamb's holdout has financial repercussions, including a $40,000 fine for each day missed. Furthermore, Lamb, in the option year of his rookie contract, faces a penalty of 1/18th of his base salary for each preseason game he skips. With his base salary fully guaranteed at $17.991 million this season, Lamb risks approximately $999,500 for every exhibition game missed.
Adding to the drama, Lamb has removed Dallas Cowboys references from his social media bios. Despite these signs of discontent, the Cowboys have the discretion to waive or reduce his fines since he remains on his rookie deal.
Jerry Jones Clarifies Stance
Ahead of the Cowboys’ preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams, Jerry Jones aimed to clarify his comments. He emphasized that the perceived lack of urgency is tied to their first regular-season game, which is still four weeks away. "He said that lack of urgency related to their first regular-season game being four weeks away," Jones clarified. Moreover, Jones pointed out that even if Lamb had reported on time, he wouldn't have played against the Rams.
Yet, Jones did make a point of expressing Lamb's absence, noting that the team felt his absence. "Jones also made a point of mentioning that Lamb was missed," Jones acknowledged.
Contract Aspirations and Comparisons
The situation is further complicated by Lamb's contract aspirations. Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones revealed on The Athletic's Scoop City podcast that Lamb desires to be the NFL's highest-paid non-quarterback. This ambition finds a significant benchmark in wide receiver Justin Jefferson's recent four-year, $140 million extension with the Minnesota Vikings, averaging $35 million per year. Jefferson's deal set a record for wide receivers with $110 million in overall guarantees and $88.743 million fully guaranteed at signing. He replaced San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa as the highest-paid non-quarterback, who signed a five-year, $170 million extension worth an average of $34 million per year.
Lamb’s recent performance undoubtedly supports his high contract demands. In 2023, he had 135 catches for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns, leading the league in receptions and ranking second in receiving yards. Lamb was also a first-team All-Pro last season. Since the start of the 2022 regular season, he leads the league with 242 receptions.
Cowboys' Strategy and the Precedents
The Cowboys face a delicate situation with Lamb's extension, likely influenced by future contract negotiations with other key players like Micah Parsons. Parsons is expected to dominate the non-quarterback salary hierarchy when he signs his new deal, presumably next offseason. Given the team's preference for big-money extensions at least five years long, Lamb’s situation might be complicated further.
Recent trends show an inclination towards shorter, high-end wide receiver contracts, such as DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle's three-year extensions. However, the Cowboys struck five-year extensions with Trevon Diggs and Terence Steele in 2023, reflecting their preference for long-term deals.
While that structure favored the Cowboys, it may not be palatable to Lamb and his representatives. A five-year deal might allow Lamb to slightly exceed Jefferson's $35 million per year, but Dallas’ team-friendly guarantee-vesting schedule could be a sticking point. Lamb's agent will likely push back against such a structure, seeing it as less favorable compared to peers.
The Path Forward
In the world of NFL contract negotiations, precedents hold a lot of weight. The Dallas Cowboys have historically extended core players rather than relying on franchise tags, especially since the introduction of the rookie wage scale in the 2011 CBA. Thus, a new deal for Lamb seems inevitable before the Cowboys' regular-season preparations ramp up.
It appears likely that Dallas will sign Lamb to a four-year extension. While he may not surpass Jefferson's deal, Lamb could land somewhere closer to Nick Bosa’s annual average of $34 million than the midpoint between Jefferson's and A.J. Brown's contracts, at $33.5 million per year. Lamb is also expected to sit comfortably in the echelon of guarantees, possibly earning more than T.J. Watt's $80 million but less than Bosa's $88 million fully guaranteed at signing.
In the end, while the Cowboys negotiate, the significant date looming is August 22, when they break training camp in Oxnard, California. The resolution of Lamb’s situation will likely set the tone for their 2023 season, one way or another.
