The latest on CeeDee Lamb contract extension talks: Negotiations continue with the Cowboys

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 two preseason games come and gone. 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.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and his son, executive vice president and COO Stephen Jones, have been consistently reassuring fans that a deal will indeed get done, although the most recent news is that the numbers the Cowboys and Lamb are discussing behind the scenes are still not satisfactory for Lamb.

The latest on CeeDee Lamb’s contract negotiations

ESPN’s Jeff Darlington reported that the Cowboys “remain optimistic” about getting a deal done, but that they are not currently at “a point where they know the annual salary, where they know the contract length, where they know the real structure of the contract where it becomes guaranteed money.”

NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo also reported that the Cowboys were prepared to give Lamb “around $33 million” per year, but what Lamb is looking for may be just a tad higher. Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson has set the bar with his new contract, making $35 million a year.

“Until they get much closer to that number, that contract that Justin Jefferson has at $35 million a year, and maybe it doesn’t have to be all the way there, we’re not there yet,” said Darlington.

Now, Lamb has caused even more panic as he posted a photo of Tobey Maguire’s black and silver Spiderman to his Instagram Stories, the suit Spiderman wears when he goes rogue.

What did Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones say about the CeeDee Lamb contract talks?

Before the Cowboys’ first preseason game, 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.

A few days before the Cowboys’ second preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Jones told ESPN, “We’re conscientiously working to get something done.”

On Saturday, however, Jones again reiterated that lack of urgency, telling 105.3 The Fan, “We’re having the same kind of talks we’ve been having...[I’m] not worried about a target date, not worried about his shape. Glad he’s not out here risking some injury tonight.”

I guess there’s a positive spin?

Last week, Stephen Jones said that the Cowboys 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. Jefferson’s $35 million annual salary made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league as part of 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.

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.