..The official agreement between Ezekiel Elliott and the Cowboys to a two-year contract is fantastic news for the team……

  1. Much of the Cowboysโ€™ 2024 offseason has been defined by the teamโ€™s lack of progress on extension talks with quarterback Dak Prescott entering the final year of his current deal. On the horizon, though, are mega-deals for edge rusher Micah Parsons and wideout CeeDee Lamb.

With the latter having been drafted one year earlier than the former, he understandably represents a higher priority for Dallas. Lamb is in line to secure a massive raise on his second contract, but he is already on the books for 2024 via his $17.99MM fifth-year option. Team and player are positioned to discuss an extension this offseason, but for now that is not the case.

Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports Lambโ€™s representatives have not yet held any โ€œsubstantial talksโ€ with the Cowboys about a new deal. The 25-year-old has been eligible for a new deal since last offseason, but his public comments on the matter have included a desire to become the leagueโ€™s highest-paid receiver. Reaching that goal would require an AAV above Tyreek Hillโ€˜s $30MM figure along with outpacing the value of Justin Jeffersonโ€˜s presumed Vikings extension.

 

As Watkinsโ€™ colleague Michael Gehlkin noted earlier this week, Lamb may not take part in the Cowboysโ€™ upcoming offseason program. That process โ€“ which begins April 15 โ€“ is voluntary, though, and an absence would not carry nearly the same weight as a hold out (or the increasingly popular hold-in) during training camp. With an extension not in sight, it would come as no surprise at this point if Lamb attempted to exercise his leverage to help work out a monster contract.

 

The Oklahoma product set a new franchise record for receivers in 2023 (135 catches, 1,749 yards, 14 total touchdowns). That production earned him a third straight Pro Bowl invitation along with first-team All-Pro honors. Lambโ€™s age and statistical output have him positioned to occupy a large portion of the Cowboysโ€™ cap sheet for years to come, but the same is of course true for Prescott (whom the team still hopes to extend this offseason) and Parsons (who is now extension-eligible and will no doubt become one of the leagueโ€™s highest-paid defenders on his next pact).


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