All signs reportedly point toward CeeDee Lamb having a new contract extension with the Dallas Cowboys before the start of the 2024 season, although the two sides have ground to cover.
Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram reported Wednesday "there is no doubt that a deal will get done" even though it "is not close to being completed" at this point. Hill noted that Lamb is looking for a deal close to the $35 million annually that Justin Jefferson received from the Minnesota Vikings.
However, Dallas' best offer is "not yet at $33 million annually" even though people with the team believe the deal will be signed ahead of the 2024 campaign.
The Cowboys only have so much leverage.
After all, Lamb is in the middle of his prime at 25 years old and coming off an incredible season that saw him post career-high marks across the board with 135 catches for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns. The offense will be significantly worse if he is not on the field.
What's more, the wide receiver market was front and center throughout the offseason with Jefferson, A.J. Brown ($32 million per year), Amon-Ra St. Brown ($30 million per year) and Jaylen Waddle ($28.3 million per year) all agreeing to headline contract extensions with their own teams.
Lamb figures to be the next in line, and the NFC East team may want to consider itself fortunate that Hill reported Lamb isn't demanding to be paid more than Jefferson but rather "in the neighborhood."
There would likely be another team willing to give him a deal that even surpasses Jefferson's if he hit the open market.
Cowboys fans should at least be encouraged with the tenor of many of the recent reports that all seem to suggest the two sides coming to terms on an agreement is an inevitability. ESPN's Adam Schefter also reported as much on Monday's episode of NFL Live.
"It would be a huge upset if CeeDee Lamb is not there for the start of the regular season," Schefter said. "I don't know whether they can bridge the differences, which aren't that much, this week or next week or the week after, but this deal is going to get done. It would be shocking and utterly stupid if it did not get done in time for the start of the regular season. So they're going to figure out a way."
Dallas also has to consider potential future deals for quarterback Dak Prescott, who is entering the final season of his contract like Lamb, and star pass-rusher Micah Parsons, who is signed through the 2025 campaign, during any negotiations, but Lamb is a building block of the team.
The Cowboys surely want him on the field when they take on the Cleveland Browns in the season opener on Sept. 8.
