As the 2024 NFL offseason unfolds, the Dallas Cowboys are facing a significant storyline centered around the contract extension for their star wide receiver, CeeDee Lamb. Despite Lamb’s absence from the Cowboys’ preseason activities due to his holdout for a new long-term contract, team owner Jerry Jones remains hopeful that a resolution is near.
Lamb, who is recognized as one of the elite wide receivers in the NFL, has not participated in the Cowboys’ preseason preparations as he seeks a new deal. The contract negotiations have created uncertainty about his future with the team, but Jones expressed confidence in a positive outcome.
“I firmly believe we’ll reach an agreement,” Jones stated to the media on Tuesday, according to the Cowboys’ official website. “I don’t want to speak for him, but we wouldn’t have made the offer we did if we didn’t want him to stay.”
Last season, Lamb delivered an impressive performance, earning First-Team All-Pro honors. He led the NFL in receptions and set franchise records for both receptions and receiving yards in a season. Lamb accumulated 135 catches for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns. Over his four-season career, he has amassed 395 receptions, 5,145 receiving yards, and 32 receiving touchdowns.
At 25 years old and a three-time Pro Bowler, Lamb has been absent this offseason as he negotiates his future. Under his current contract, he is set to earn $17.99 million in 2024 on the fifth-year option of his rookie deal, with the potential to become a free agent at the season’s end.
Reports from ESPN indicate that the Cowboys have offered Lamb a contract that would make him the second-highest-paid wide receiver in the league, trailing only Justin Jefferson’s $35 million annual deal with the Minnesota Vikings.
Lamb’s absence from voluntary workouts, mandatory minicamp, and training camp has raised concerns about his availability for the start of the 2024 season. With the Cowboys’ opener against the Cleveland Browns on September 8, there is growing speculation that Lamb might miss the initial games.
Nevertheless, Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons is confident about Lamb’s participation. “CeeDee is part of this brotherhood, whether he likes it or not,” Parsons said earlier in August. “He knows he’s not going anywhere. The business side will be handled, no doubt. By Week 1, he will be suiting up for the Dallas Cowboys.”
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