Dallas City News

The CeeDee Lamb contract saga got some extra spice when Jerry Jones was questioned about it after the Dallas Cowboys scrimmage against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday. After some words were taken out of context, it turned out to be a whole lot of nothing.

Nonetheless, Lamb remains unsigned. And with every day that passes, more and more frustration brews for Cowboys fans. To help manage our emotions, it’s important to focus on what’s real and what’s noise, so here are four truths about this situation and one big question remaining.

TRUTH #1: The Cowboys want him

Make no mistake about it, the front office has no intention of letting him go. Lamb immediately established himself as one of the league’s best wide receivers. His yardage total has jumped considerably every year and the sky is the limit for this guy.

Plus, outside of Lamb, the Cowboys don’t have much else at wide receiver. Amari Cooper was traded away with the clear intention of keeping Lamb long-term. There is no contingency plan. Brandin Cooks is in the last year of his deal and all they have behind him is like seven guys named Jalen (that’s an exaggeration, technically, there are only three). The bottom line is, no world exists where Lamb isn’t playing for the Cowboys.

TRUTH #2: CeeDee wants a deal to get done

This is obvious because Lamb is holding out and will not report to camp until he’s given a new deal. His participation (or lack thereof) is his bargaining chip. He wants his money and he wants it now. People talk about how waiting makes players more money and how the players have all the leverage. That is simply not true. Lamb is already at the top of his stock price and has nothing else to prove. Dragging this out only puts future earnings at risk.

Additionally, Lamb knows that if he is not extended this year the Cowboys can place the franchise tag on him in March and he’ll have to go through this whole thing again next year until the July 15th deadline. Nobody wants that.

TRUTH #3: It’s always about the money

The Cowboys want him and Lamb wants to get the deal done, but it hasn’t happened because of the money. It’s always about the money. Lamb and his representation want the maximum they can get. That’s understandable. While we don’t have the specifics, Lamb is likely fighting for a large signing bonus and as much guaranteed money as possible.

The front office is willing to pay him, but they’re looking for savings too. They can trim some costs by working a longer deal or add greater flexibility by negotiating less guaranteed money. The Cowboys want to add some small details in the contract language to help them maneuver through the turbulent waters of signing three superstar players.

TRUTH #4: Waiting doesn’t cost cap flexibility

We’ve talked about this quite a bit, but it’s still an area that can be confusing. The amount of a player’s contract increases with each new year, so on the surface, it appears that waiting to sign players costs the team more. It doesn’t in terms of cap lexibility. And that’s because the salary cap also increases. While a player does receive more money the later they are signed, it doesn’t impact a team’s spending ability because it counts against a larger overall budget.

If the Cowboys could have signed him after year two, then maybe he would’ve been cheaper, but league rules prohibit extending players on a rookie deal until after year three. By that time, Lamb was already an All-Pro. He’s been at the top of the market and remains at the top of the market. His stock isn’t likely to change much.

THE BIG QUESTION: What is the holdup?

This is the part that isn’t clear. Reverting to truth #3, there is something within all these details that the two sides aren’t seeing eye to eye on. Eventually, there will be a compromise and a deal will finally get done, but we’ll never know what the holdup was. If it’s like many other deals the Cowboys construct, there’s a great chance we’ll love it. Lamb will get his bag, and the Cowboys will get their star receiver under player control for the next several years. Soon thereafter, we’ll all forget this ordeal even took place.