Dallas Cowboys superstar wide receiver CeeDee Lamb hasn’t been shy this offseason about his desire for a new long-term contract coming off a career year where he posted 135 catches for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Team owner Jerry Jones has been publicly throwing a blanket on this fire by saying he just wants Lamb in camp and giving the impression that the team isn’t prioritizing a new contract right now, but one insider recently revealed the big reason why Lamb hasn’t signed a new deal.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo shared that the Cowboys have made a sizeable offer, but the $33 million number that has been reported as the annual value of the alleged deal is not enough for Lamb, as Garafolo said “My understanding is it’s around 33 and for Lamb that’s still not good enough. The top of the market is 35 with Justin Jefferson, so he wants that to come up and the structure, I am told via sources familiar with Lamb’s thinking, needs to be worked on as well.”
From @NFLGameDay Kickoff: The #49ers’ standoff with Brandon Aiyuk continues, the #Cowboys and Ceedee Lamb still have a bunch of work to do on a deal and the #Giants get Daniel Jones and Malik Nabers on a live field for the first time today. pic.twitter.com/Cm5T72vpGW
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 17, 2024
Even though Lamb and the Cowboys reportedly had meetings about a deal, it doesn’t appear as if a new contract is imminent, as Garafolo outlined there are still plenty of hurdles to clear before the star receiver is signed.
Lamb is using the leverage that he knows he has given how important he is to this team’s offense, and it’s an encouraging sign that the team is reportedly playing ball and sitting at the negotiating table.
Earlier in the offseason, it felt like this situation might get messy, but the fact that contract negotiations are happening and are reportedly close to the number Lamb wants is encouraging.