Star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb may be a no-show when the Dallas Cowboys start training camp on July 25.
Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reported Lamb — entering the final year of his rookie contract — is expected to skip the beginning of training camp unless the Cowboys give him an extension.
This shouldn't come as a huge surprise. Lamb didn't attend OTAs and mandatory minicamp, incurring more than $100,000 in fines, via CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin.
Apparently, Lamb is far from signing a new deal. Watkins added, "There has been little progress" on an extensions for him and quarterback Dak Prescott.
Perhaps Lamb and the Cowboys can't agree on a price. Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson recently signed a four-year, $140M deal, making him the highest-paid WR in the league. Jon Machota of The Athletic reported a contract for Lamb should be "in a similar ballpark."
Spotrac estimates the Cowboys have $10.085M in cap space, 23rd in the NFL. A Lamb extension would devour future cap room, but it may be worth it. In 17 games last season, the 25-year-old recorded a league-leading 135 receptions for 1,749 yards and 12 TD catches, earning his third Pro Bowl nod.
More importantly, Dallas doesn't want his holdout to prolong into the season. Aside from Lamb, the Cowboys lack quality pass-catchers.
Pro Football Focus' Trevor Sikkema recently rated the Cowboys receiving corps No. 15 in the NFL. He wrote, "How high do the Cowboys deserve to be on this list, knowing it's just basically CeeDee Lamb?"
