No money, more problems. Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb will not be in attendance at the Dallas Cowboys training camp when it begins in Oxnard, California.
Multiple sources have reported that Lamb will not show up to camp on Wednesday after he has been unable to land a contract extension that aligns with his elite production and other receivers across the league, which is no surprise what so ever to those who have been closing following the drama.
The Dallas Morning News reported Tuesday morning that team officials did not count on him joining the team until a contract extension is reached.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported earlier in the day that Lamb would not be on the team flight headed for Oxnard, where the Cowboys would be hosting training camp.
Wednesday is the Cowboys’ official reporting day for training camp and every day that Lamb misses, he will be forced to pay a mandatory $50,000 fine.
Cowboys team busses arrived in Oxnard right around 7 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday evening.
Lamb is entering the final year of his current deal and will earn $17.99 million this season.
Embed from Getty ImagesWhile Lamb will not be there on Wednesday, two people with knowledge of the situation told the Dallas Morning News they were encouraged and hopeful that a deal could get done this week to avoid a holdout or hold-in scenario.
The breakdown between the star wide receiver and the Cowboys has been a continuous story throughout the NFL offseason and picked up speed when the 25-year-old skipped voluntary workouts and mandatory minicamp, which cost him six figures, more than $100,000 in fines for doing so.
“It’s a business, honestly,” Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis told the Morning News about the situation. “You got to look at from that side of things and understand it. You got to take care of your family that comes first. I understand what they’re doing. You just got to go out there and try to prepare as best we can without them or how long we’ll be without them.”
Lamb and the Cowboys have had discussions about a new deal in recent weeks, but they have not been able to come to an agreement that would make him the highest-paid receiver in team history.
A number of high-profile receivers have gotten their bag this offseason, including Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings, A.J. Brown with the Philadelphia Eagles, DeVonta Smith also with the Eagles and Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions.
Jefferson’s four-year, $140 million contract, which included $110 million guaranteed, comes to an average of $35 million a year to make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL.
