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The Dallas Cowboys have been in a contract standoff with star wideout CeeDee Lamb for a while, but there may finally be progress toward a new deal. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones thinks so, at least.
Jones opened up about his optimism, via The Athletic's Jon Machota.
“I think I am [optimistic]. And when I say that, it doesn’t sound too promising. The facts are that I believe we’ll come together,” Jones said. “I don’t want to speak for him. That’s what I’m trying not to do. But we wouldn’t have offered him what we’ve offered him if we didn’t want him to be here.”
Lamb is scheduled to play on his fifth-year team option this season before he hits unrestricted free agency. The three-time Pro Bowler led the NFL with 135 receptions last season.
Is Jones telling the truth?
Signs point to CeeDee Lamb re-signing with the Cowboys
Jones insisted that the two sides are getting closer to an agreement despite Lamb's continued holdout, via ESPN's Todd Archer.
“I don't mean that to be insensitive to our fans or to CeeDee, but we're in good shape there and we are having promising talks,” Jones said. “You say, ‘Well, why do you keep talking? Why don't you do something?' Again, as in anything, it takes both of you there at the same time.”
Jones has a point, it does take both sides to cooperate in good faith to get a deal done. At the same time, Lamb has a right to be upset, as his $18 million salary for 2024 is well below market value for a top wideout. Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson for example, is earning an average of $35 million a year.
“But I believe it's got the proper amount of everything — emphasis, importance — for everybody involved here and we'll see how it goes,” Jones concluded.
Dallas offered Lamb $33 million a season, but the 25-year-old wants more, via NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.
From @NFLGameDay Kickoff: The #49ers’ standoff with Brandon Aiyuk continues, the #Cowboys and Ceedee Lamb still have a bunch of work to do on a deal and the #Giants get Daniel Jones and Malik Nabers on a live field for the first time today. pic.twitter.com/Cm5T72vpGW
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 17, 2024
“You saw reports that the Cowboys and Ceedee Lamb and his representation met to try to resolve this thing a couple of days ago. It did not happen,” Garafolo confirmed. “You've seen the reported numbers that are out there. About 33, I've seen higher than 33, I've seen lower than 33. My understanding is it's around 33, and for Lamb that's still not good enough.”
Lamb has comparable career numbers to Jefferson, so there's no reason for him to be paid less.
“The top of the market is 35 with Justin Jefferson, so he wants that to come up, and the structure I was told via sources familiar with Lamb's thinking needs to be worked on as well,” Garafolo continued. “Cash flow guarantees, how that's gonna be structured on the front end of the deal. There's still a lot of work to be done here, and Lamb is represented by Tory Dandy, an agent who knows this wide receiver market because he helped set the wide receiver market. He's got a ton of receivers that he's done deals for over the last year, including A.J. Brown, who's right there below that tier that the Cowboys are trying to offer right now.”
It would be strange for Dallas to risk Lamb not playing in Week 1, but it's not unprecedented for a star to sit out regular-season games. The Cowboys, though, would have a much weaker offense without their crown jewel.
