The Dallas Cowboys have arrived at a dangerous offseason predicament with star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and they must pay big money.
Americaâs Team has not approached the bargaining table to offer CeeDee Lamb the lucrative contract he warrants.
Moreover, the Cowboysâ star player has shown his hand in the early negotiation.
Lamb was not present for the first set of OTAs in May that have just concluded, and he was a no-show at the voluntary workouts before the NFL Draft.
CeeDee Lamb is set to enter his rookie contract year but demands to be paid now
Lamb is approaching the fifth year of his rookie contract, with the franchise triggering the traditional first-round option.
However, Lamb wants to be paid big and he wants to be paid now.
The 25-year-old is part of an elite wide receiver class that is fishing for their first veteran contracts.
Additionally, he has seen Amon-Ra St. Brown become the highest-paid wide receiver in the league, and seen A.J. Brown break the ceiling only days later.
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Cincinnati Bengals and Minnesota Vikings wide receivers JaâMarr Chase and Justin Jefferson are waiting for their top-of-the-market deals to roll in.
Reports have suggested that Jefferson will become the most expensive receiver in the business when he is eventually signed on.
Nonetheless, Lamb wants to be paid swiftly and would be on track to overtake A.J. Brown on the contract front.
CeeDee Lambâs accolades are up there with the very best, so he demands his value in gold
In 2023, Lamb achieved his maiden First-Team All-Pro induction after making the Second-Team the previous year.
The Louisiana native finished second in the league for receiving yards (1,749) but registered top of the pile in total receptions (135).
Throw into the mix three Pro Bowl selections in his NFL career and you have all the reasons why he is set to top the market.
Mike Florio was âsurprisedâ why GM Jones allowed Lamb to see so much of the ball in 2023
On Pro Football Talk, Mike Florio questioned why General Manager Jerry Jones allowed Lamb to receive the ball so much.
âIn hindsight, Iâm surprised, when you consider the General Manager is also the guy who writes the cheques, he allowed the team to feed the ball to CeeDee Lamb last year as much as they did,â the NFL expert said on NBC.
âThere is a price to be paid now, that he has showcased. It justifies his demand in whatever he is trying to get at the bargaining table.â
CeeDee Lambâs price raises the roof and portrays himself as invaluable
Florio goes as far as to question why Jones allowed the offense to rely on Lamb as much as they did in 2023.
As a result, Lambâs talent and output make him an invaluable asset, which has handed him all the leverage in the upcoming deal.
So far, the Dallas Cowboysâ offseason has been very cheap, however, it is about to get extremely expensive considering the log jam of monster contracts needing to be settled.