Coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Mike McCarthy, dismissed CeeDee Lamb’s absence from this week’s required minicamp practices, citing a “business decision.”
The 2023 NFL All-Pro selection will have to pay a hefty fee of $16,953 (£13,258.83) for missing practice on Tuesday. Should he miss all of this week’s sessions, he may face a punishment of up to $100,000 (£78,000). Lamb, who is now enjoying the lucrative $18 million (£14.08 million) fifth-year option on his rookie contract with Dallas, will be eligible to sign an unrestricted free agency contract in 2025.
This summer, he hopes to sign a lucrative long-term contract. After slow negotiations between the player and the team last month, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones remained silent regarding Lamb’s holdout. Jones told the media, “Those things, there’s no way to put a timeline on them.”
They also have their sights set on other players in the league, as I already informed you. These are large contracts, in my opinion, and they often take time to complete, but once they do, they move quickly.”
Lamb has lived up to the anticipation of a first-round selection after being selected by the Cowboys with the 17th overall choice in the 2020 NFL Draft, putting up an impressive 900 yards in his debut season. Following two consecutive 1,000-yard seasons not long from the Cotton Bowl, the Oklahoma product shone in a spectacular 2023 run that saw him tie Myles Garrett for first place in Pro Football Reference’s Approximate Value statistic and behind only Tyreek Hill with 1,749 receiving yards.
The youthful wide receiver expressed his desire to remain in Dallas for the long run in a February podcast interview with teammate Micah Parsons, saying, “Absolutely, there’s no sеcrеt about that.”
The three-time Pro Bowler isn’t afraid to talk about his goals in terms of money, either. “I can’t give you no numbers right now, but I’ll tell you this, [I want to be] one of the top-paid receivers for sure, if not the [highest-paid receiver],” Lamb said. “That’s always the goal.”
Lamb’s desire to be paid among the highest paid players has heightened the level of discussion with the Cowboys, particularly since NFL Insider Josina Anderson revealed that the talks had picked up steam after Justin Jefferson’s historic deal. Undoubtedly impacting Lamb’s talks with Dallas, Jefferson signed a staggering 4-year, $140 million (£109.49 million) contract with Minnesota, creating a new record as the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
Wide receivers have made a lot of money this off-season; A. J. Brown of Philadelphia and Amon-Ra St. Brown of Detroit signed extensions totaling $32 million (£25.03 million) and $30 million (£23.46 million), respectively.Lamb’s performance statistics are comparable to those of the greatest players, including Jefferson. While behind the Vikings sensation by 754 yards in total yardage on a same number of receptions, Lamb has nonetheless scored two touchdowns more.
In a little more than two months, the Cowboys will play their first preseason game in Los Angeles, against the Rams. On September 8, the regular season will begin against Cleveland, and it will be Tom Brady’s first game on the broadcast.