Just in the nick of time. The Dallas Cowboys and their fans everywhere can breathe a collective sigh of relief.
After arriving on the scene and quickly establishing himself in ‘Big D’ as one of the elite pass-catchers in all of football, Cowboys star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb has been handsomely rewarded with a four-year, $136 million contract, according to ESPN’s senior NFL insider Adam Schefter. The extension includes a $38 million signing bonus, the largest ever given to a wide receiver, and $100 million guaranteed, according to sources.
The deal comes after the Cowboys exercised the $18 million fifth-year option on Lamb’s rookie contract for the 2024 campaign in April. He counted for a $4.5 million against the cap in 2023.
Lamb stated back in June that he would not allow intense contract negotiations to affect his play. He kept his promise, recording career highs of 135 receptions, 1,749 yards, 12 receiving touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns. He was named to his third consecutive Pro Bowl and earned first-team All-Pro honors for the first time in his career.
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones told the media weeks after the Super Bowl, on February 27, that Lamb was one of a trio of players that the team was looking to sign to contract extensions, along with quarterback Dak Prescott and pass-rusher Micah Parsons. However, Jones did not offer a concrete and definitive timeline for when those deals would be signed, sealed and delivered.
Lamb was a no-show at the start of the team’s voluntary workouts in April and he also skipped mandatory minicamp in June while he waited anxiously for his new deal. Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reported 48 hours before training camp opened that “a person with knowledge of the front office’s thinking” said the Cowboys “are putting Lamb’s contract extension talks ahead of Prescott’s.”
Embed from Getty ImagesHowever, the wideout stood and continued to hold out at the start of training camp while training in South Florida, while he waited for his deal to be completed.
Team owner and general manager Jerry Jones said on August 2 that he “would not have a legitimate progress point there at all [with Prescott] and I really don’t have one for Lamb either.”
Lamb told Parsons on The Edge podcast on February 10 that he wants to be “one of the top-paid receivers for sure, if not the highest-paid receiver.” His patience and in-season dominance eventually paid off, as he got his wish and is now the second-highest-paid non-QB in league history, behind the Minnesota Vikings Justin Jefferson, who got his bag earlier this off season.
Coming off his fourth year in the league, Lamb has cemented himself as Dallas’ No. 1 receiver. The 25-year-old also had a stellar 2022 season in which he led the team with 107 receptions, 1,359 yards and nine touchdowns.
He had seven games with at least 11 receptions in 2023, most by a receiver in a season in NFL history. His 29 catches of 20 yards or more tied for the league lead with the Miami Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill. He had a 92-yard touchdown catch against the Detroit Lions, which was the second-longest reception in team history. Hall of Famer Bob Hayes had a 95-yarder in 1966.
Lamb has undoubtedly lived up to and exceeded the hype and expectations after being selected 17th overall in the 2020 draft out of the University of Oklahoma. He has built a special connection and rapport with Prescott that helped the team earn its second NFC East title in the last three years this past season. Dallas was upset by Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wild Card Round, 48-32 at home, continuing the franchise’s run of playoff struggles.
Prescott’s contract expires after this season, and while the team wants to sign him to a long-term extension, he could hit the open market because the Cowboys cannot slap his with the franchise tag.
The Cowboys offense will continue to create harmony and flow through the passing attack led by Prescott and Lamb.
