If history has taught us anything, playing the waiting game for an extension rarely benefits the team. With the league’s rapid commercial and financial growth, salary records are being reset almost every month. As a result, even a slight delay can cost the team millions more. A prime example of this is currently unfolding in Dallas, involving none other than CeeDee Lamb.
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With 1,749 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns last season, extending Lamb should have been a top priority for the Cowboys. Yet, oddly, Jerry Jones & Co. have left all of their star players, including Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons, in the dark. And reports suggest that this delay has already cost them millions.
Apart from the relationship issues that arise from a sluggish approach to extensions, stats show that before the offseason, only one wide receiver was earning north of $28 million per year. Additionally, no receiver before this offseason had $75 million in guaranteed money.
So, if the Cowboys had extended Lamb at the start of the offseason, they could have negotiated a figure around this amount in both annual and guaranteed payout.
But as fate would have it, Justin Jefferson and the Vikings completely flipped the market, with the new benchmark being $35 million per year. Following this, three more receivers have inked deals with payouts north of $28 million a year.
As one can make out, the delay has given Lamb even more leverage, allowing him to now demand an industry-standard $35 million per year contract, compared to the $28 million he might have accepted earlier this season.
Cowboys waiting to sign CeeDee Lamb has cost them big $$$
prior to this offseason, only 1 WR was making over $28M/yr
…now there are 5
prior to this offseason, 0 WRs had over $75M guaranteed
…now there are 4
nice work Jerry
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) July 30, 2024
To sum it up, the unnecessary stretching of contract extension talks has seemingly cost the Cowboys anywhere from $5 to $7 million extra. And if that isn’t enough, Lamb can always explore opportunities outside Dallas, which, for a talent like him, are plentiful.
CeeDee Lamb’s Potential New Home
The metric for Lamb’s next team relies on money, competition, and a leadership opportunity. Based on this, the LA Chargers are the best-rumored fit for the star wideout should he decide to leave Dallas.
For starters, the Chargers are in dire need of an experienced leader in the WR position. After parting ways with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, the responsibility now falls on rookies Brenden Rice and Ladd McConkey to lead the receiver corps. This is undeniably a big ask for the two youngsters, making Lamb the ideal candidate to lead and mentor the receiving roster in LA.
The high-profile exits have also resulted in decent cap space, so shelling out a big salary for a talent like Lamb is not a hassle. From a macro perspective, a Lamb and Herbert partnership for HC Harbaugh is the best pillar to build his new project for the Chargers. So from every sense, Lamb moving to the LA Chargers makes a ton of sense.
While it’s hard to predict the future of the Cowboys star, a seemingly long delay in extension talks should be an indicator that the Cowboys do not have Lamb in their new project. So, crucial weeks lie ahead for Lamb’s future.
