Dak Prescott, Micah Parsons, and CeeDee Lamb are all eligible for contract extensions due to the time left in their existing deal or stipulations in the latest collective bargaining agreement. However, satisfying and keeping all three players on the roster won’t be cheap for the Dallas Cowboys. Prescott and Lamb are in the final years of their contracts, while Parsons will play the 2025 season under his fifth-year option.
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Therefore, Cowboys team owner and de facto general manager Jerry Jones must work in overdrive to settle their contract situation. But as FS1’s Danny Parkins said during his turn to fill in for Colin Cowherd on ‘The Herd,’ Lamb might be the odd man out because of the position that he’s playing and the past instances of successful teams letting their best wideout walk away.
“Teams move on from great wide receivers. It’s happened before. Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill, DeAndre Hopkins. It’s the deepest position seemingly in every draft now. So, you move on from CeeDee Lamb if you decide that paying all three guys is untenable.”
Parkins makes a solid argument about how the Kansas City Chiefs and the Green Bay Packers have remained competitive despite losing their All-Pro wide receivers. The Chiefs strengthen his case by adding two Super Bowl titles after Tyreek Hill’s trade to the Miami Dolphins.
Following that thought, the Cowboys might think Lamb is replaceable, even if he had tallied 135 receptions for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns. The surplus of wide receiver talent allows the Cowboys to duplicate Lamb’s production through an impressive wideout on a rookie-scale contract.
Conversely, the Cowboys don’t have a succession plan after Prescott, the quarterback who helped the Cowboys become the highest-scoring offense and finished second to Lamar Jackson in last season’s MVP award voting.
Meanwhile, Parsons is among the top five defensive players in the NFL. His 40.5 sacks in three seasons strengthen his case for a well-deserved contract extension.
Will Lamb’s Contract Fall Behind Justin Jefferson’s Payout?
Parkins, however, didn’t suggest that Lamb doesn’t deserve a massive payday. Instead, the 2023 First-Team All-Pro member will receive it from another team, if not the Cowboys. But wherever it may be, in Parkins’ view, it would be unacceptable for Lamb to be paid more than Justin Jefferson.
Jefferson signed a four-year, $140 million deal this offseason, keeping him under contract until 2028. The Minnesota Vikings wide receiver deserves this money based on what he delivered in his first four seasons.
His 2023 season was awe-inspiring, as he finished with 1,074 receiving yards and five touchdowns, despite missing seven games due to a hamstring injury. The LSU alum was also the league’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2022 and earned more All-Pro selections (3) than Lamb (2).
That said, while Lamb’s camp can allow Jefferson to remain the highest-paid wide receiver, they can negotiate a contract of the same value or higher than A.J. Brown’s three-year, $96 million extension. Lamb and Brown had comparable numbers last season, but the former’s All-Pro selection gives him a slight leverage. Therefore, Lamb should expect a deal with an annual average of $33-$34 million.
The Cowboys would be in a good position if they could agree to terms with Lamb and Prescott before training camp starts in late July. They can put this issue away and focus on chasing their first Super Bowl berth after 29 years.
