There’s no longer a need to breathlessly monitor CeeDee Lamb’s social media accounts to unearth clues.
The star receiver can say “lol’' on X or post a random photo of Spider-Man pulling a venom mask over his face on Instagram without everyone rushing to interpret what it means regarding his contractual status.
Lamb’s holdout is over. He received the extension he craved, a four-year deal that pays $136 million, those with knowledge of the contract told The Dallas Morning News. It makes him the second-highest-paid player in the NFL outside of the quarterback position.
The question now is will he be the only member of the Cowboys’ Big Three to sign an extension before the regular season opens in Cleveland on Sept. 8, or will quarterback Dak Prescott join him?
That narrative is up next. Bringing Lamb back into the fold with enough time to prepare for the opener topped the team’s to-do list for this week.
“Just great to get the contract in place and obviously have him back,’’ head coach Mike McCarthy said. “When CeeDee and that big smile walk into the locker room, everyone will be fired up.
“He brings that juice, that energy to our locker room.’’
Lamb, in the final year of his rookie contract, wanted to get ahead of the franchise tag that certainly would have been applied next season if a lucrative extension wasn’t in place. That’s why he chose to skip the team’s offseason program at The Star and didn’t report to Southern California for training camp.
The extension, which binds him to the club through the 2028 season, not only averages $34 million but has a guarantee of $100 million, with $38 million coming immediately in a signing bonus, those with knowledge of the contract details said.
Minnesota receiver Justin Jefferson, with an average of $35 million and a guarantee of $110 million, is the only nonquarterback in the league with a larger contract.
Questions of why it took so long for two sides that expressed every intention of staying together to work this out increased the longer the holdout continued. There are several reasons.
One is that Jefferson didn’t sign his extension until June. Lamb and his representation had no intention of signing until he set the market.
Once Jefferson signed, the Cowboys and Lamb had to navigate the gulf that existed between Jefferson’s guarantee and Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown, who is second on the list at $84 million.
There were at least two occasions in recent weeks where a deal appeared imminent, two people who were apprised of the negotiations said. After Stephen Jones said in the team’s news conference to open training camp in late July that Lamb wanted to be the league’s highest-paid receiver, Lamb let the Cowboys executive vice president know that wasn’t the case.
That helped set a cordial tone. But as close as the sides were, they couldn’t push it across the finish line until the Cowboys, who were sitting on an average of just below $33 million for a while, sweetened that offer.
It’s impossible to address the receiver’s contract without viewing it in the context of impending deals for Prescott and edge rusher Micah Parsons. The financial fortunes of the three are intertwined in a way that will determine the club’s immediate future.
“They’re connected,’’ Stephen Jones told The News earlier this month. “Are you kidding me? They’re totally connected.’’
The Jones family has a price in mind for what it can pay the Big Three and still be comfortable fielding a strong team around them. If the Cowboys went too far beyond projections in what it paid Lamb it would impact what’s left for Prescott and Parsons.
That doesn’t appear to be the case with Lamb’s contract. Next up is Prescott, who will become a free agent at the end of the season.
The Cowboys haven’t been informed by Prescott and his representation that he’ll stop negotiations if an extension isn’t in place before the season starts. But the quarterback’s leverage to get a deal is at its best in these next 12 days.
Negotiations between the Cowboys and Prescott have been ongoing and will likely pick up now that Lamb is signed. He becomes the focus off the field.
On the field, it will be working Lamb back into practice. The team has a one-hour practice Tuesday, a slightly longer one Wednesday and will go in pads Thursday before taking a three-day break. The team returns to The Star on Monday to begin a normal week of preparation for a game.
Lamb set a franchise record with 135 receptions for 1,749 yards last season. He rushed for another 113 yards and scored a total of 14 touchdowns.
“CeeDee’s role will not change,’’ McCarthy said. “He was our premier receiver last year and our approach with him will be similar.’’
Lamb has seen an increase in receptions, yards and touchdowns in each of his four seasons. He alone accounted for 29.5% of the Cowboys’ yards from scrimmage last season.
“Well, I mean, last year’s numbers, that’s a high bar,’’ McCarthy said. “No question. But you know what he’s capable of doing.
“It was good to get this done. I think we’re all relieved.’’
Catch David Moore with The Musers every Monday-Friday at 9:35 a.m. and on the Hardline every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4:35 p.m. on The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310 and 96.7 FM) during training camp.
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