While news of CeeDee Lamb missing the OTAs was taken lightly by Cowboys fans considering the voluntary nature of the activity, fans would surely be worried about his future if the WR misses the minicamp set to happen next week. A similar trend has been observed in San Francisco with Brandon Aiyuk also missing the OTAs. While the act of rebellion will surely be a blemish on their disciplinary records, reports say that missing the minicamp can see them being forced to pay a hefty fine north of $100,000.
Advertisement
As per reports from the ever-reliable NFL Insider Adam Schefter, the NFL in agreement with the teams and the NFLPA has set a fixed penalty sum for missing each day of the mandatory minicamp. Missing Day 1 of the camp results in a fine of $16,953, and missing Day 2 and Day 3 of the camp meanwhile results in a penalty of $33,908 and $50,855 respectively. So if both Brandon Aiyuk and CeeDee Lamb were to miss the first three days of the camps, the duo would have to pay $101,716 in fines.
The fine schedule for missing mandatory minicamp:
1st day: $16,953
2nd day: $33,908
3rd day: $50,855Total: $101,716.
By skipping mandatory minicamp, Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb and 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk will be subject to $101,716 in fines. pic.twitter.com/tIglzBWEek
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 5, 2024
With Justin Jefferson’s $140 million deal breaking open the WRs market, elite pass catchers like Lamb and Aiyuk now have more of leverage to get a better contract. Nonetheless, Brandon Aiyuk and CeeDee Lamb aren’t the only ones gunning for a fat renewal from their teams. Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase is also expected to rake in massive moolah considering his team didn’t shy away from rewarding Joe Burrow judiciously. Teammate QB Dak Prescott’s situation is also hanging by a thread.
Thus with so many big moves on the horizon, it’s only fair for the teams to get their extensions done at the earliest before getting their players poached. Thus a possible rebellion by the likes of CeeDee Lamb and Brandon Aiyuk in today’s market can be viewed as a will for commitment and can lowkey be a blessing for their respective teams as well.
All said, a potential fine of $101,716 is a drop in the bucket for CeeDee Lamb as his latest market value is estimated to be north of $100 million currently per the existing standards.
CeeDee Lamb Is Worth $130 Million+ As Per Sportrac
CeeDee Lamb has undeniably been among the best WRs in the NFL over the last few years. The WR is currently in the final year of his 4 year $14 million deal with the Cowboys. But his market value today is far far ahead. For starters, Lamb went toe to toe last year in terms of production output with Justin Jefferson. JJ’s consistency throughout the season plus the fact that he had to carry the Vikings attack in Kirk Cousins’ absence helped him land a 4 year deal worth $140 million.
While Lamb didn’t have the problem of an injured QB, his partnership with Dak Prescott wreaked havoc in the league last year. Their stellar attack propelled the Jerry Jones-owned team to playoffs. While they couldn’t reach the Super Bowl, Lamb proved enough mettle resulting in Spotrac predicting Lamb’s worth to be $136.13 million in four years. In simple words, weighted average data points to the notion that the Cowboys must award Lamb a remuneration of $34 million a year.
While this deal might not land him the richest non-QB deal [JJ earns $35 million / year], it’s still an unreal jump early on in his career. A deal like this guarantees Lamb future deals north of $200 million provided he keeps the variables constant like he has done over the years.
