Cowboys Coach Drops 5-Word Message on CeeDee Lamb’s Holdout

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy had little to say about CeeDee Lamb’s absence as the wide receiver began a holdout during mandatory minicamp practices.

“CeeDee’s not here today, so,” McCarthy said during a June 5, 2024, press conference when asked if he expected Lamb to be with the team.

McCarthy later described Lamb as being “engaged” with the team throughout the offseason despite the contract staredown, but he declined to elaborate further.

It remains to be seen if Lamb will attend training camp if an extension is not reached, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Cowboys can fine the star wideout more than $100,000 if he misses the rest of the mandatory minicamp sessions. According to NFL.com’s Kevin Patra, however, Lamb playing under the fifth-year option of his rookie contract means that fines for skipping offseason work can be waived.

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CeeDee Lamb Is Projected to Land a 4-Year, $136 Million Deal

Lamb completed a four-year, $14 million rookie contract, and the Cowboys picked up the wideout’s fifth-year option for $17.9 million in 2024. As things stand now, Lamb would be a free agent in 2025, but Dallas also has the franchise tag the team could use to retain the wideout if no long-term deal is signed.

Lamb is coming off a year in which he led the league with 135 receptions and totaled 1,749 yards. He has averaged 78.0 yards per game in his career and had 102.9 yards per game last season alone.

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Vikings Receiver Justin Jefferson May Have Raised CeeDee Lamb’s Market Value

Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson just reset the market for NFL receivers on June 3 with a four-year, $140 million contract. Lamb could command something similar, with Spotrac projecting his market value to be a four-year, $136 million contract.

CBS Sports insider Josina Anderson said in a June 3 post on X, “I’m told talks between the #Cowboys and WR Cee Dee Lamb are expected to ‘speed up’–beyond its previous pace–since ‘there’s at least a number’ with the announcement of #Vikings WR Justin Jefferson’s record-setting non-quarterback contract extension today, per source.”

Lamb and Jefferson have both played in the NFL for four years and both are three-time Pro Bowlers. Lamb has three more career catches and four more career touchdowns than Jefferson, while Jefferson has 754 more yards than Lamb.

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Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones Noncommittal on CeeDee Lamb’s Future in Dallas

Lamb is coming off a season in which he set franchise records for receptions (135) and receiving yards (1,749), further increasing his value to the Cowboys.

Earlier this offseason, however, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones praised Lamb’s production but openly wondered whether signing the star to a contract extension would be worth the potential sacrifice.

“He’s out there and he’s more valuable than anybody else,” Jones explained on March 26, per DallasCowboys.com’s Nick Harris. “But that valuable, to have to give up four or five players to have him, you have to get that reconciled. That’s what I’m trying to say. It’s a lot quicker and easier said than done.”

Jones also noted that there is “not necessarily” an order to which extensions get done first on his team, but failing to get Lamb’s deal done before Jefferson’s could end up raising Lamb’s price even further.

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