CeeDee Lamb's holdout will end before Week 1 even if the Cowboys don't give him a new deal
Dallas Cowboys star wideout CeeDee Lamb is officially holding out, as he waits for a contract extension. The fifth-year player is entering the final year of the rookie deal he signed back in 2020, which is slated to pay him $17.991 million in 2024.Lamb also sat out voluntary OTAs and missed mandatory minicamp, so a […]
Dallas Cowboys star wideout CeeDee Lamb is officially holding out, as he waits for a contract extension. The fifth-year player is entering the final year of the rookie deal he signed back in 2020, which is slated to pay him $17.991 million in 2024.
Lamb also sat out voluntary OTAs and missed mandatory minicamp, so a lot of people saw the holdout coming. He's also in an advantageous spot when it comes to sitting out: Right now, Lamb getting fined $40k for every missed practice, but the Cowboys can waive any and all fines since he's still on a rookie deal that was signed with the 2020 CBA in place.Therefore, he doesn't have to "hold-in" like we see players do, these days.
It doesn't sound like this is ending anytime soon, either. Per The Athletic's Diana Russini, it's not happening over the next few days and could even extend up to/past the Cowboys' first preseason game, which is August 11, or, 15 days away.
CeeDee Lamb is going to demand the money he thinks he's worth. So he's holding out. From having conversations, I don't see this getting ironed out over the next few days. I think this is something we're going to see leading into next week, maybe even the week after. This isn't one of those situations where I'm getting vibes, signs, positive attitude from both sides. It just seems like it's a challenge for the Dallas Cowboys to get there. – Diana Russini, Scoop City
That nugget, along with Stephen Jones' Thursday comments stating Lamb (and Micah Parsons) wants to be the highest-paid non-QB in the league, officially places the holdout in the "no end in sight" category.
"Both of them [Lamb and Parsons], rightfully so, believe they should be the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league," said Jones. "Totally respect that. So, [they are] very difficult situations that we're trying to work through with them."
Or does it?
Lamb could certainly miss a big chunk of training camp, or even the entire preseason, but it's a safe bet to say he'll be in uniform and playing for the Cowboys come Week 1.
Deal, or no deal.
CeeDee Lamb's holdout is about money and money will be the reason he plays in Week 1
Contractual stuff and holdouts are never simple. It's not a matter of just pitching guy a deal with a bunch of numbers and then reconfiguring if it's not a favorable deal. GMs have to look years down the road, agents have to look at how the payouts/money are structured, and then of course, players have to weigh their options and ultimately decide what's best for them.
That's just the surface-level stuff, too. There are so many moving parts, it's easy to see why these things can take a while to iron out.
Yet, while there isn't a timeline regarding Lamb's new deal, he'll be in uniform and playing against the Cleveland Browns in Week 1.
The reason is as plain as day, too, and it's the same reason for the holdout: money.
Per Spotrac, Lamb has made $14,137,439 over the course of his four-year career. That's obviously a lot of money, but it's peanuts when it comes to the money he's looking at in his new deal. If he does, in fact, become the highest-paid non-QB, we are talking about a contract worth over $35 million per year. That's what kind of ascension we are talking about, here.
At the same time, as mentioned earlier, Lamb will make close to $18 million in 2024, alone. Why in the world would a player sit out the season when they can make nearly $4 million more in one year than they have combined over the previous four years?
There's zero chance Lamb misses out on that. Sometimes, in life, things are that simple. Props to him for sending a clear message to the Cowboys, but, he'll be in Cleveland taking on the likes of Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome III, and others when the season kicks off on September 8.
