Getty Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy.
The Dallas Cowboys could soon sign a two-time Pro Bowl star to a major contract extension.
Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb could receive a deal that would pay him in the range of $25 million to $30 million per year, according to The Athletic’s Jon Machota in a column about six Cowboys players in line for contract extensions and the priority the team should give each. Machota wrote that Lamb should be Dallas’ No. 2 priority, behind only quarterback Dak Prescott.
“The top 10 highest-paid wide receivers all make at least $20 million per season,” Machota wrote in the piece, published June 23. “The top five average at least $24 million per season. Miami’s Tyreek Hill is the highest-paid at $30 million per year over four years. Look for Lamb’s next deal to pay him in the $25 million to $30 million per year range. It’s difficult to imagine the Cowboys not doing everything in their power to keep their No. 1 wide receiver.”
Cowboys Likely to Sign CeeDee Lamb to Extension Over Tag
Lamb’s current contract — he’s still in the midst of his rookie deal — pays him $4.5 million for this season, which is just the 46th-highest figure among all receivers. The last year of his deal, a 2024 option that the team picked up in April, will pay him roughly $18 million, but that is still far below what he’s projected to earn on the open market.
“He is entering the fourth year of his rookie contract,” Machota wrote. “The Cowboys have exercised the fifth-year option on that deal, which keeps him in Dallas at least through 2024. The fifth-year option would pay Lamb just under $18 million in 2024. The Cowboys could use the franchise tag on Lamb after the 2024 season, but that seems unlikely.”
If an extension in the range of $25 million to $30 million is the likeliest outcome, the next question is: How many years will the Cowboys want to commit to Lamb?
“Contract length may be a bigger sticking point than money in Lamb’s case,” according to CBS Sports’ Joel Corry. “The Cowboys prefer to sign players to big money extensions that are at least five years long.”
However, Corry noted in his June 16 story, “the recent trend is for high-end wide receiver contracts to be shorter.” He cited the three-year deals handed to Deebo Samuel of the San Francisco 49ers, D.K. Metcalf of the Seattle Seahawks and Terry McLaurin of the Washington Commanders.
Why CeeDee Lamb Is Due for Big Contract
According to Spotrac, Lamb’s market value is $22.5 million per season for a total of $90.3 million across four seasons. That would make him the 10th-highest paid receiver in the league. Other comparable players — based upon age, contract status and stat projections — are Chris Godwin, Metcalf and McLaurin. Godwin, of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, earns $20 million annually, while Metcalf and McLaurin each earn at least $22.8 million annually.
Through his first three seasons, Lamb already has two 1,100-yard seasons under his belt, and he ranked No. 6 in receiving yards and touchdowns last season. He has 260 catches for 3,396 yards and 20 touchdowns during that time frame. By comparison, Godwin had 179 catches for 2,700 yards and 17 touchdowns during his first three seasons, with Metcalf posting 216 receptions for 3,170 yards and 29 touchdowns with McLaurin racking up 222 receptions for 3,090 yards and 16 touchdowns during similar time frames.
Lamb is Dallas’ go-to receiver, and the franchise is known for paying its top receiving options — Amari Cooper previously received a $100 million contract extension that paid him $20 million annually in 2020.