The latest on CeeDee Lamb contract extension talks

Will the CeeDee saga ever end?? YES. It inevitably will end, but the question is WHEN? That still remains uncertain, even three weeks into training camp and with the second preseason game coming up in two days. Lamb has been holding out relentlessly all summer and doesn’t plan on coming back until the Cowboys are ready to put ink to paper on a new deal.

We haven’t exactly been given reassurance that a deal is coming soon, but we have been given reassurance that one is coming at all, which isn’t really much of an update, but it’s where we’re at.

The latest on CeeDee Lamb’s contract negotiaions

Last week, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had fans a little on edge when he seemed to create some unnecessary drama with Lamb, telling reporters he felt “no urgency’ to get a deal done with Lamb. Lamb’s “lol” reply on social media did not help matters. Jones later clarified ahead of the preseason opener against the Rams that, well, what he really meant to say was, there’s no urgency to get him back on the field...cause, you know...he wouldn’t be playing in the preseason anyway and, well, we already know what he can do. He then made sure to let Lamb know that he’s “missed”, in case his feelings were hurt I guess.

Sigh. Nice one, Jerry.

Well, as of Wednesday, following the Cowboys’ final joint practice with the Rams, Jones told ESPN, “We’re conscientiously working to get something done.”

Stephen Jones expects CeeDee to get a lot more touches this season

After those and more vague comments from Jerry, we heard from his son, COO Stephen Jones. Jones 2.0 said that they have a plan for Lamb based on the big contract he’s going to eventually get.

“He’s going to touch the ball a ton...for what we’re going to have to pay him, he better,” Jones said. “I told [head coach] Mike [McCarthy] things can’t change. He’s got to be targeted 12 to 15 times a game. You got to hand it to him a couple more times. So I don’t see that changing in the least bit. He’s our No. 1 go-to guy.”

To put things into perspective, it’s pretty rare for a player to average 12 or more targets per game. It’s happened only eight times in the NFL. Former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison holds the record in targets with 205 in 2002, an average of 12.8 per game.

As for the “what we’re going to have to pay him”, that’s going to be somewhere in the $130-140 million range. Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson just became the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league with his four-year, $140 million deal. Considering what Lamb has done with the Cowboys - led the league with 135 receptions, plus 1,749 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns just last year - his price tag is going to be up there with Jefferson’s.

According to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Cowboys are not quite at the amount that will make CeeDee happy, although he’s not necessarily asking to make as much as Jefferson. Their best offer, however, was not even at $33 million annually.

Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer agrees that Lamb will be the focal point of the Dallas offense.

“CeeDee is one of the few receivers where even when people know he’s getting the ball, he’s got the ability to get open,” said Schottenheimer. “He’s just got a knack for knowing how to run routes and to beat leverage. And to beat what we call ‘bad leverage.’ I haven’t been around a guy that, when teams obviously knew the ball was gonna go to him, he still found a way to get open.”

CeeDee is worth the money. I know it, you know it, and the Cowboys know it. Jerry Jones knows it. It’s time to get the deal done already.