Cowboys Make $17.9 Million Contract Decision for Key Starter

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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones observes the scene before an NFL game.

The Dallas Cowboys had already made several major contract decisions, but their latest move is locking in big money for WR CeeDee Lamb.

The Cowboys had to get creative with their budget this offseason, restructuring contracts for key players like QB Dak Prescott and choosing a short-term solution for running back Tony Pollard with the franchise tag.

Now, the team is ensuring that Lamb is around for the 2024 season. Dallas Morning News reporter Calvin Watkins reported that Dallas pulled the trigger on the receiver’s fifth-year option.

“Multiple people with knowledge of the contract talks said the cowboys picked up the fifth year option on WR CeeDee Lamb @dmn_cowboys,” Watkins posted on Twitter. “Lamb will get $17.9 million for the 2024 season.”

It seemed like a foregone conclusion that Dallas would look to extend their No. 1 receiver or activate the fifth-year option, but now it is official and the Cowboys have the security that Lamb has two years left on his deal and that they have more time to work on an extension.

Lamb Heading Toward Huge Second Contract

For NFL players, it’s all about their second contract. Rookie deals can pay well for first-round selections like Lamb, but they pale in comparison to the paydays that star players get on their second deals.

That second contract is what Lamb is currently working toward and what the Cowboys will have to cough up to keep him around. SI.com’s Mike Fisher recently reported that Dallas is in “ongoing” talks with Lamb about an extension as well.

“And CowboysSI.com has been told that Dallas is both considering ramping up talks – a source called them “ongoing” – and is locking into that fifth-year option plan,” Fisher wrote on April 17.

The fifth year option paying an impressive $17.9 million is a significant step-up from his $4.5 million intake for 2022, but Lamb ought to get even more than that if or when his new deal comes to fruition.

Spotrac estimates his market value at $22.5 million a season. So, a four-year deal would total close to $90 million and would give Lamb the highest-paying wide receiver contract in team history.

Prescott Reviews New Cowboys WR

While the Cowboys take the steps to keep Lamb around for the long-term, Dak Prescott is offering his thoughts on his newest wide receiver Brandin Cooks. Dallas sent multiple draft picks to the Houston Texans in exchange for the veteran receiver’s services this past March.

Cooks has been one of the NFL’s most prolific pass-catchers over the past decade, thanks to his elite speed and hands. According to Prescott, he has now seen that in person.

“Got a good little throwing session in today. Got to throw with [Brandin] Cooks; it’s going well. It’s exciting, I’ll say that. It was very exciting to throw with him today. The guy is different. That is real speed,” Prescott said on The Adam Schefter Podcast.

In nine NFL seasons, Cooks has reached the 1000-yard receiving mark six times, twice doing so in Houston. His 2022 campaign was a drop in production, but a consistent presence at QB and Lamb pulling attention away from him could see a return to form.