CeeDee Lamb holdout incoming? Cowboys WR fails to report to minicamp over stalled contract extension
CeeDee Lamb is up next for a contract extension with the Dallas Cowboys, but there has not been very much traction on that front. As a result, the star wide receiver is not at mandatory minicamp as of Tuesday, May 4. Lamb appears to be adopting what is a standard tactic for any NFL star who's angling for a new deal amid drawn-out negotiations.
Ian Rapoport reports:
"Cowboys star WR CeeDee Lamb has not been spotted in Dallas for mandatory minicamp, sources say. Lamb has not been present for voluntary OTAs, but is not reporting to minicamp, which subjects a player to fines."
Considering Justin Jefferson just got paid with the biggest non-QB contract in the NFL, Lamb stands to benefit from the market being reset. However, the Cowboys have not quite gotten his new deal done just yet. As a result of his holdout, Lamb will be fined since the minicamp is mandatory.
Projecting CeeDee Lamb's contract extension
CeeDee Lamb's contract extension, should the Dallas Cowboys eventually decide that he's worth keeping for the foreseeable future, will likely be pretty lucrative. The star wide receiver is one of the best in the NFL and will be paid as such.
However, there is one issue. Dak Prescott is also a pending free agent. Both will hit free agency this offseason, and it's hard to imagine the team being willing and able to pay both players what they want.
Prescott could get a salary of $50 million, and Lamb could get somewhere around $35 million or more. That much money on just two players is hard to swallow, especially with so many other stars on the roster.
They will have to make the choice, but Lamb's extension will probably be for five years and $150 million. That would be more than Jefferson's cumulative value but less in yearly salary. This would give him the years and the highest total value for a WR contract but it wouldn't cost them as much as Jefferson on a yearly basis.
However, the talent of the player is often only a secondary consideration. Lamb isn't as good as Jefferson by most metrics, but since Lamb will be signed after Jefferson, it might not matter.