Getty Images Dak Prescott #4 and CeeDee Lamb #88 of the Dallas Cowboys (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb continues to emerge as Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott‘s favorite target, and the offense’s most prolific weapon.
As it turns out, Lamb is also the most ‘valuable’ player at his position in the NFL, when it comes to his contract.
Spotrac includes Lamb on its 2023 All-Value Team, listing the players at each position who are outperforming their current contracts, and seen as a top value.
“Lamb’s production output has significantly increased each of his first four NFL seasons,” Michael Ginniitti writes. “Culminating with a monster 2023 (135 catches, 1,749 yards, 12 TDs). His $3.5M average salary ranked 61st among 2023 Wide Receivers, but Dallas’ days of value are likely over. Lamb holds a $17.9M fully guaranteed salary in 2024, and a $28.8M market value in our system. There’s a very real world where he becomes the highest paid WR in the history of football in the coming weeks.”
This past season, Prescott boasted an impressive 125.7 passer rating when targeting Lamb, underscoring the 24-year-old’s value in the Cowboys’ passing game. Likewise, according to Pro Football Focus, Lamb was a steady deep-threat, averaging five yards after the catch per reception.
As Spotrac suggests, the Cowboys could look to sign Lamb to a lucrative extension this offseason, ensuring that the most productive seasons of his career are spent in Dallas.
CeeDee Lamb Believes Best Days Still to Come
Lamb has two years remaining on his contract, and the Cowboys’ current cap-strapped state could be an impetus to rework his deal to create spending flexibility this offseason, including to fit a new Prescott contract under the cap.
Given the explosive nature of the Cowboys’ offense when Prescott and Lamb are firing on all cylinders, the young wide receiver believes he still has plenty of upside in coming years for the Cowboys.
“I’m definitely one of the elite receivers in this game,” Lamb told reporters, via the Associated Press. “I worked my tail off to be that and to say that confidently. It’s good to be elite, but how consistent? How long can you be elite is the next challenge. I’m looking forward to it. Can’t wait.”
Through the first four seasons of his career, Lamb has caught 395 passes for 5,145 yards with 32 touchdowns, while averaging 7.4 yards per catch. However, there is still one big line item missing from Lamb’s resumé.
“I’ve got a goal in mind and that’s to get a ring,” Lamb said. “At the end of that, then we’ll start talking about everything else. I’m going to focus on this then we’ll get on that.”
Jerry Jones, Cowboys All-In on 2024
Despite the fact that the Cowboys are currently projected to be $14.29 million over the cap entering this offseason, Jerry Jones isn’t changing his approach.
The 81-year-old Cowboys owner says he is ‘all-in’ on 2024.
“I would anticipate — with looking ahead at our key contracts that we’d like to address — we will be all in,” Jones told reporters, via team reporter Nick Harris. “I would anticipate we will be all in at the end of this year.
“… It will be going all in on different people than you’ve done in the past. We will be going all in. We’ve seen some things out of some of the players that we want to be all in on. Yes, I would say that you will see us this coming year not build it for the future. It’s the best way I’ve ever said. And that ought to answer a lot of questions.”
Jones and the Cowboys will look to break a 28-season drought from advancing to the NFC Championship Game when the 2024 campaign kicks off.