Cowboys’ Lamb, Seeking Deal, Not at Camp – Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb’s effort to get what he feels he has earned as far as a long-term contract has spilled over into minicamp.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Tuesday that Lamb has not been seen in Dallas for mandatory minicamp, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, who is on a one-year prove it deal himself, later confirmed that Lamb was not present for the start of minicamp. Elite and box office pass rusher Micah Parsons, who also in line for a contract extension, was at the facility on Tuesday for workouts, McCarthy told the media.
Lamb previously had skipped voluntary workouts and will now be a no-show at the only mandatory work during the offseason workout program. Skipping mandatory minicamp would normally subject a player to fines, however, with Lamb playing under the fifth-year option of his rookie deal, fines for skipping offseason work can be forgiven, as was the case in 2023 with Nick Bosa and the San Francisco 49ers.
The 25-year-old wideout, out of the University of Oklahoma, seeks an extension that would better align his compensation with the robust receiver market. Lamb has been the Cowboys clear cut No. 1, accumulating three consecutive 1,000-plus yard seasons, including 1,749 yards and a league-high 135 receptions last year.
Lamb is scheduled to make $17.991 million on the fifth-year option.
Minnesota Vikings Justin Jefferson’s historic four-year, $140 million extension on Monday, provides Lamb and the Cowboys the blueprint for a potential extension.
Cowboys’ owner and general manager Jerry Jones stated prior to the 2024 NFL Draft back in April, that he wanted to “see more leaves fall” before dealing with extensions in his building. For the Lamb negotiations, the biggest leaf fell 24 hours ago.
The Cowboys likely are not worried about Lamb disrupting his lofty production by missing three more days of June practice. The wideout has worked out away from the team with his own trainer and even gotten in some sessions with quarterback Dak Prescott off site this offseason.
The next landmark to see if sides inch closer toward a new deal will be training camp in mid-July. If an agreement is not set in stone by then and Lamb continues to sit out, the anxiety could reach new heights, particularly given the wideout’s importance to the offense.
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Niners Give McCaffrey 2-Year Extension – McCaffrey is staying in the Bay Area. San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey has inked a two-year extension that will boost his average to $19 million per season.
According to ESPN’s NFL senior insider Adam Schefter, the 2023 NFL Offensive Player of the Year will see his salary make a significant jump and increase by $8 million and he will also earn $24 million more in guaranteed money. McCaffrey was set to make $11.8 million for the 2024 NFL season, which is from the contract he signed while with the Carolina Panthers.
What an early birthday gift. That bump in salary will make McCaffrey, who turns 28 on Friday, the NFL’s highest-paid running back. He is now signed through the 2027 campaign.
McCaffrey was under contract with the four-year, $64 million extension he signed in 2020 with the Panthers. Following the 2022 trade to San Francisco, nothing in the agreement was changed or reworked. He had two years remaining on that deal but none of his base salaries in 2024 and 2025 were guaranteed.
McCaffrey is a lethal weapon in both the running and passing game, rushing for 1,459 yards and 14 touchdowns last season and recorded 564 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
Now that his contract is out of the way, McCaffrey was with the team for the start of their mandatory minicamp on Tuesday after he passed on attending the voluntary portion of the 49ers’ offseason program.
In other pressing 49ers’ news, receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who is awaiting a long-term contract extension of his own, has not reported to minicamp as of Tuesday morning. He is subject to fines in excess of $104,000 if he does not arrive over the next three days.
