CeeDee Lamb has not been in attendance for the Dallas Cowboys' offseason activities due to the fact his contract is set to expire at the end of the season, and he wants an extension.
Unfortunately for the team, the list of players needing new deals is adding up as Dak Prescott, Zack Martin, and Micah Parsons are all waiting for new contracts as well.
When discussing the key players' negotiations, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News shared that with no agreed-upon extension, the wide receiver's absence could continue into training camp:
There’s been little progress on extensions for Prescott and Lamb this summer. For the second consecutive year, there’s a possibility a key starter will hold out of training camp. Lamb missed the entire offseason program and is expected to miss training camp if he doesn’t get a new deal.
The wideout put together his best season yet in 2023, and now is in contention to get paid at a total higher than Justin Jefferson's league-best $35 million AAV, and the receiver has had supporters who feel he should be top of the priority list.
Dallas has some decisions to make, and this player thinks it should start at wide receiver.
How'd Dallas End Up Here?
The price only goes up from here
There were reports that Lamb waited out Jefferson's deal to set the price tag for his new contract, but the deal was done a month ago, and no progress has been made between Dallas and their star pass catcher.
The Cowboys have been shoveling money out in recent years, which has tightened the team's salary cap. Additionally, some believe paying top dollar for a receiver is bad team building. Still, when a star like Lamb is can be retained, even most critics would make an exception to the rule.
It appears that Jerry Jones is clutching onto his dollars a bit because his past overpays have put the team in its current situation. Now, in an offseason where three players could easily command the top price at their position, it's easy to be overwhelmed and cautious.
Perhaps Dallas has some fireworks in store, and one or two of these pending big names won't be wearing a Cowboys uniform in 2025. Maybe the team is taking a unique approach that they believe will save them money in the long run. Right now, it's all speculation about what will happen.
But until they figure it out, it appears Lamb will be missing from team activities—and the price of this trio's services will only go up as time goes on.
All statistics courtesy of Pro-Football Reference and all contract info courtesy of Spotrac unless otherwise stated.
Dan Orlovsky had some choice words for the Cowboys' front office regarding their unwillingness to extend their stars.
