“Actions speak louder than words.” So far, Jerry Jones’ actions have only elicited one response from their star receiver CeeDee Lamb: “lol.” When it comes to CeeDee’s actions, his stats can be compared to those of every other Cowboys player combined. He is the most indispensable player in the Cowboys’ offense.
Jerry Jones’ justification for the delay is that Lamb won’t play in the postseason or do any heavy lifting in training camp, so he’s not in a hurry to hand him a gift-wrapped contract. So, where’s the love, Jerry Jones? Greg Jennings came on First Things First and sided with CeeDee Lamb, with ex-NFL coach Eric Mangini following his lead.
“I do think there’s something to the ‘don’t tell me you love me, show me you love me,’ and the fifth-year option was designed to give the team the ability to draft a guy in the first round to have the rights to him for that extra year at a wage that’s supposed to be comparable to what his peers are getting. But the reality is, not many players in general play out that fifth year in the fifth-year option and the other fifth-year option receiver right now is Brandon Aiyuk and we know what’s going on with him,” said coach Mangini.
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USA Today via Reuters Dec 30, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Brandin Cooks (3) celebrates with Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) after making a touchdown catch during the second half against the Detroit Lions at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Polls of the day Poll 1 of 4 Do you support CeeDee Lamb’s holdout for a better contract? Absolutely No way Depends on the offer Not sure Have an interesting take? Join Debate Who will be the biggest loss for their team this season? JJ McCarthy Jahmyr Gibbs Christian McCaffrey Any of the four WRs Have an interesting take? Join Debate Do you think Tyreek Hill should have stayed with the Kansas City Chiefs? Yes, he was a perfect fit No, he needed a fresh start It doesn’t matter, he’s thriving either way Absolutely not, the Chiefs are better off without him Have an interesting take? Join Debate What do you think is the most intriguing aspect of Leo Chenal’s relationship with Randi? High school sweethearts Supportive partnership Balancing NFL life and marriage Their public appearances Have an interesting take? Join Debate
Mangini also pointed out two precedents to Lamb’s situation. First, a first-round pick doesn’t typically reach a point where they are offered a fifth-year option. The second precedent negates the first one because Ezekiel Elliott, the 2016 fourth overall pick, got a 5-year, $90 million deal after a 40-day holdout in 2019. During his absence from Jerry Land, Zeke was training in Mexico on his own. The Cowboys owner even taunted him by saying, “Zeke Who?” before he got what he wanted.
Zeke, having gone through a similar situation, is confident that the Dallas Cowboys will ultimately give Lamb a contract. “It’s really tough because you go through your first three to four years and you guys are on the same side,” Elliott told reporters at Cowboys training camp. “This is the first time that now you’re kind of going against each other. So, you got to have a little thick skin … but at the end of the day, we all have the same goal and we all support CeeDee.”
Imagine Lamb going through all this trouble after breaking the Cowboys’ season reception record and putting up 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns on top of that. Lamb’s situation is eerily similar to Dez Bryant’s contract extension saga. The Cowboys made it a hellish experience for him before he eventually secured a 5-year, $70 million deal in 2015.
Apparently, the Cowboys offered Bryant a franchise tag worth about $12.8 million, but he managed to turn it into a long-term deal with a higher AAV. Bryant held out from OTAs and mandatory workouts. Moreover, he threatened the Cowboys, saying he “will not be there if no deal” was reached and that he would also hold out from regular-season games. The Dallas Cowboys waited until two hours before the deadline to give him a deal. Dez Bryant was Tony Romo’s favorite target.
So why does CeeDee Lamb deserve this extension?
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This CeeDee Lamb fact will blow your mind…
The Dallas Cowboys star ran laps around every other Cowboys receiver last year. He and Dak led the league with 36 passing touchdowns. Lamb broke the Cowboys’ franchise record with 135 receptions in a single season. But more than that, he had better numbers than all the other Cowboys receivers combined.
Metrics CeeDee Lamb Other Current Cowboys WRs Targets 181 141 Receptions 135 94 Receiving Yards 1,749 1,116 Yards/Reception 13.0 11.9 20+ Receiving yards 29 17 Total Touchdowns 14 14
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“If we put last year’s number for CeeDee Lamb against everyone else currently on the Cowboys combined into one super player, they’re worse than CeeDee Lamb. Measurably worse across the board except for total touchdowns where they’re even. That’s seven dudes and so I don’t think CeeDee Lamb is the best receiver in the league. I do think he might be the most indispensable skill player position in the league given the context of his team,” said Nick Wright.
It seems like CeeDee Lamb’s situation is more of a déjà vu of Dez Bryant’s situation than Ezekiel Elliott’s. However, history suggests that the Cowboys wait until the very last second to hand out contract extensions. If that happens, CeeDee Lamb will be skiing in money like Scrooge McDuck.