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It took a month-long holdout, but finally, after spending the entire summer stressing out fans of the Dallas Cowboys, All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb signed a four-year contract extension worth $136 million on Monday afternoon, giving those very same fans the all clear to exhale. The deal, which is the second-largest in NFL history terms of average annual value for wide receivers, also included a $38 million signing bonus, which is a record for wide receivers.
In locking down CeeDee Lamb, the Cowboys have secured one of the league's very best wide receivers for the next half decade. In 2023, Lamb had his best season yet, hauling in a league-high 135 receptions for a Cowboys franchise record 1,747 receiving yards. For those reasons, it makes sense that both Lamb and Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones would be all smiles when they reunited on the practice field.
just catchin’ up 😁#CowboysCamp | @AmericanAir pic.twitter.com/WBOSSrT1QK
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) August 29, 2024
Before they engaged in this jolly encounter, the conversation between CeeDee Lamb and Jerry Jones was focused on business, and putting all of the weeks and months of tension behind them.
“We had a businessman conversation,” Lamb said, per Todd Archer of ESPN.com. “Just had to clear the room. Everything is behind us. I'm not worried about nothing. We got what we needed to get done. Now, it's time for me to go ball.”
Jerry Jones also divulged what he and his star wide receiver discussed immediately following the contract signing.
“You’re gonna be dealing with huge amounts of money. Be careful,” Jones shared, according to The Athletic's Jon Machota.” Look under the hood. Give it a lot of consideration as you make decisions regarding what you have as far as keeping it. You don’t have to be smart to make money. You can be very talented. You can be very driven. You do not have to be smart to make money. But you have to be real smart to keep it. Very smart. Any way that I can help a player in any way keep it, put me in coach.”
The question now becomes, who will be the next Dallas Cowboy to make that money?
Can the Cowboys and Dak Prescott work out a deal?
At some point soon, the Cowboys will need to back up the Brink's Truck for All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons, but if they aren't willing, there will be 31 teams (and at least one rookie quarterback) eager to get their hands on the havoc-wreaking pass rusher. But first, Dallas needs to figure what they'll be doing with quarterback Dak Prescott.
Prescott is on the final year of his deal and will be a free agent in 2025 unless he and the Cowboys can manage to work out a deal… a deal that would likely make Prescott (once again) one of the highest paid quarterbacks in NFL history. If the 2023 regular season was any indication, it would be a wise move.
“You look at our numbers together, they're at the top of the charts,” Lamb said. “I have no doubt that they're going to get a deal done. We all know that I want Dak here. Jerry wants Dak here too. So, let's just get this under control and kill the speculation and let's go win.”
Winning is something the Cowboys have done plenty of since head coach Mike McCarthy arrived in 2020, but the lack of postseason success has cast a shadow on what has been one of the most prolific regular season teams in the NFL. The 2024 season will likely play a huge role in determining whether Prescott and McCarthy return to Dallas in 2025.
