How many Cowboys’ training camp holdouts have worked out?

The Dallas Cowboys top wide receiver, CeeDee Lamb, is making headlines lately as he could very likely miss training camp coming up on July 24 if the Cowboys don’t come up with a deal for him by then. As he enters the last year of his contract, he’s set to make around $18 million. After his huge season last year, and considering what other receivers in the league are getting paid now, Lamb is ready to ask for much more.

With 1,749 yards, 12 touchdowns, and a league-leading 135 receptions to break former Cowboys legend Michael Irvin’s long-time record, Lamb has a good case to be paid amongst the highest receivers in the league.

He already missed OTAs and mandatory minicamp, a move that saw him accumulate over $100,000 in fines. Now it’s possible the holdout will extend through training camp as he looks to put the pressure on the Cowboys. He certainly isn’t the first to do so. Running back Ezekiel Elliot and guard Zack Martin are two recent Cowboys players to hold out of training camp, and it worked out for them.

Dallas Cowboys players whose training camp holdout worked out

Ezekiel Elliott, 2019

In 2019, as Ezekiel Elliott’s four-year rookie contract was coming to an end, he was looking for an extension. The Cowboys picked up his fifth-year option, but that wasn’t enough. At that point in time, Zeke was on a high. He’d had 304 carries for 1,434 yards and six rushing touchdowns the previous season. He knew he deserved more, and so he protested.

Elliott held out for 40 days, missing all of training camp and the pre-season. The Cowboys and he finally came to a deal just days before the opening regular-season game. Elliott signed a six-year, $90 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid running back in NFL history at the time. He went on to play for four more years after that, with his performance going downhill in the last two. He left for the New England Patriots in 2023, played there for one year, and now he’s back with the Cowboys on a one-year deal as they continue to pay off his dead money.

Zack Martin, 2023

Last season, All-Pro guard Zack Martin had two years left on his six-year, $84 million deal from 2018, which had him making $14 million a year. That was quite a bit less than fellow Pro-Bowl guards in the league like Colts’ Quenton Nelson and Falcons’ Chris Lindstrom, who were both making over $20 million a year.

So he did what Zeke did and what CeeDee may well do, too. He held out of all practices, team activities, and training camp. He and the Cowboys finally came to a deal in the middle of August, raising his salary by $8.5 million to allow him a little over $18 million a year for the last two years of his contract. He played in 15 games last season and earned his seventh All-Pro selection (third consecutive) in 10 seasons.