COWBOYS
Cowboys prioritizing Lamb’s contract over Prescott’s
Lamb has been absent throughout the offseason and with training camp around the corner, his presence is still a question. Good news is, he’s top priority.
Throughout the offseason, the Dallas Cowboys have been criticized for their interesting choices, one of which is putting off contract extensions for quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, and edge rusher Micah Parsons. Lamb, for his part, has made it clear how he feels about that. He missed OTAs and mandatory minicamp in May, accruing thousands of dollars in fines.
Lamb is far and away the Cowboys’ biggest offensive weapon, leading the league in catches and leading all receivers in touchdowns (14) last season. He also set single-season franchise records in both catches (135) and yards (1,749). With Michael Gallup gone, the receiving corps behind Lamb leaves much to be desired.
The Cowboys know they need Lamb, and he knows it too, and is looking for his pay grade to reflect that. Minnesota Vikings’ receiver Justin Jefferson set a precedent with his four-year, $140 million deal ($110 million guaranteed), averaging a $35 million annual salary. Considering his and other top receivers’ current salaries, Lamb looks set to earn at least $32 million with guarantees of over $100 million.
Will CeeDee Lamb continue to hold out during Cowboys training camp?
Lamb held a youth football camp for 600 kids in Arlington on Saturday, and as he’s done so far this summer, remained quiet about his plans to hold out from training camp or not. It certainly seem likely that he will indeed continue to hold out, if that’s what it takes to get a deal done once and for all. He was fined $46,540 for the days he missed minicamp, and would be fined $50,000 a day for missing training camp, but it seems like that’s a price he’s willing to pay.
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Prescott, for his part, has attended all offseason workouts and is expected to be on the field in Oxnard, California on Thursday for the first open practice of training camp. And with that in mind, The Dallas Morning News reported that it looks like the Cowboys are indeed prioritizing Lamb’s contract extension talks over Prescott’s.
Cowboys COO and vice president Stephen Jones said on Friday that he feels optimistic about getting both Lamb’s and Prescott’s deals done, but that “those things take time”.
“Those things just take time when you’re talking about the amount of money involved,” said Jones. “And of course, we’re trying to a little bit play Houdini in how to keep all these guys around Dak and keep these players we were fortunate enough to draft.”