ARLINGTON, Texas — Just about two weeks separate the present from Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season.
However, the Dallas Cowboys’ top playmaker, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, still remains unsigned. The 2023 First-Team All-Pro has held out of the Cowboys’ entire offseason program, including training camp and the preseason, in an effort to be given his second NFL contract prior to the final of year of his rookie contract in 2024. The 25-year-old led the league with 135 catches while ranking second in the NFL in receiving yards (1,749) and third in receiving touchdowns (12) in 2023. Lamb’s catches and yards figures broke Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Irvin’s single-season, franchise records.
The latest update from owner and general manager Jerry Jones is there is no update.
“I don’t have any updates but we are near the season starting,” Jones said after Dallas’ preseason finale against the Los Angeles Chargers.
A face-to-face meeting between Jones and seven-time First-Team All-Pro right guard Zack Martin helped get a deal done when Martin held out from the beginning of training camp last year. When asked if he has met face-to-face with Lamb since returning home to Texas from training camp in Oxnard, California on Thursday, Jones ducked the question.
“Listen, we got a lot of things to talk about,” Jones said. “I’m only talking about who’s here.”
Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy reiterated that even though these contract talks have been drawn out both Lamb and Dallas want the resolution to be the superstar wide receiver re-signing with the team.
“I think there’s urgency on both sides,” McCarthy said postgame on Saturday. Just once again, I mean, this is business. And you know, what goes on there is really between the individuals in the room. But yes, I think everybody involved wants to get it done.”
The more time Lamb misses being away from the team leads to McCarthy continuing to tweak Lamb’s return to football ramp up plan in order for the wide receiver to avoid soft tissue injuries.
“You’ve got to have a healthy plan,” McCarthy said. “We’ve got to be smart there and just use good judgment. That will be the case. It’s just the reality of where we are. We’ll deal with it one day at a time.”
