Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb isn’t holding back when it comes the topic of his new contract.
Lamb is under contract through the 2024 season and both the receiver and the Cowboys want a long-term deal done. While there has been no indication that progress has been made regarding a new contract, the 24-year-old receiver isn’t the least bit concerned.
CeeDee Lamb on New Contract: ‘I’m Not Even Distracted’
Via Nick Harris of the Cowboys’ official website:
“Quite honestly, I’ll be 100 percent honest, I’m not even distracted,” Lamb said on Thursday, June 8. “The money, definitely worried about it, but it’s not something that’s on my mind everyday or when I come to the building. I’m not thinking about how much money I’m going to make if I do this. It’s really all about coming in, showing my worth and letting everything else handle itself.”
The three-year veteran is coming off of a 107-catch, 1,359-yard and nine-touchdown season — all career-highs — in 2022. Lamb is due to earn $2.520 million in base salary and count $4.458 million against the salary cap for the 2023 season. Among all receivers, Lamb is the 46th-highest paid receiver in the NFL.
As Spotrac notes, Lamb’s value is $22.5 million per season across four years for a total of nearly $90.4 million.
Although both sides have yet to come to an agreement on a new deal, Lamb isn’t sweating it.
“That’s for my agent,” Lamb said. “I’m trying to play. That’s what I’m here to do and that’s what I love to do.”
As Lamb enters his fourth season, he does so as the unquestioned No. 1 receiver on the team. Following longtime veteran receiver Noah Brown and tight end Dalton Schultz’s departures through free agency, Lamb is now the second-longes tenured receiving weapon (behind Michael Gallup) on the Cowboys’ roster.
Lamb explained the difference going into this season compared to prior seasons.
“The experience,” Lamb said. “Just going in and understanding that at the end of the day, it will all fall back on me, and I’m absolutely okay with that. It’s why Jerry [Jones] brought me here and it’s why I’ve been prepared for the moment. I put myself to a higher standard in being able to lead.”
Cowboys Have Nearly $11 Million More in Available Cap Space
As Mike Fisher of Sports Illustrated notes, the Cowboys will have $10.9 million more in available cap space on Friday as a result of Ezekiel Elliott’s post-June 1 release designation.
“The Cowboys’ even-better news: Though it meant a painful goodbye to foundational standout Ezekiel Elliott, having designated him as a June 1 cut means that on Friday, that rebate comes back to the Dallas cap as well, to the tune of $10.9 million more,” writes Fisher. “Therefore, Cowboys bosses Jerry and Stephen Jones will wake up on Friday morning with a fresh total of more than $20 million in cap space. … and arguably, some compelling ideas about what to do with that money.”
Considering there are looming contract extensions for not only Lamb, but Dak Prescott and Trevon Diggs, the money could come in handy when it comes to potential new deals for those aforementioned Cowboys stars.
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Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb Opens Up on Looming Contract: ‘I’ll Be 100% Honest’