Did Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones just say that wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is available for trade without actually literally saying it?

That’s what it seems like.

While talking about the possibility of the Cowboys extending Lamb this offseason, Jones said that it isn’t exactly an easy process.

“He’s out there and he’s more valuable than anybody else,” Jones said, via Nick Harris of the Cowboys’ official team website. “But that valuable, to have to give up four or five players to have him, you have to get that reconciled. That’s what I’m trying to say. It’s a lot quicker and easier said than done.”

Hmm. “Four or five players?” Does that mean Jones is saying it isn’t exactly preferable to pay Lamb the same sum of money as it would be to pay four or five other players?

“Whoever has CeeDee, and I hope it’s us, they’re going to use him,” Jones said. “You have to. You just have to get that kind of mileage out of him. What has he shown us? That he’s capable of carrying that load. We’ve got to have focus.”

It certainly sounds like Jones isn’t making any promises regarding Lamb’s future in Dallas. The fact that he essentially pondered whether Lamb was worth the cost of several other guys and said that “whoever has CeeDee” means that the Cowboys may be weighing their options.

Of course, this could also be a negotiation tactic by Jones regarding quarterback Dak Prescott.

Perhaps this is Jones’ way of indirectly letting Prescott know that asking for $60 million annually would severely handicap the Cowboys going forward and would make it exceedingly difficult for them to retain the appropriate talent around Prescott, such as players like Lamb.

We know Dallas has a rather tenuous salary cap situation right now, which is why the team was unable to do much in free agency. Plus, not only do the Cowboys have to worry about locking up Prescott and Lamb, but superstar edge rusher Micah Parsons is also eligible for a new deal.

Dallas would surely prefer to keep all three players long term, but whether or not it will be financially feasible for the Cowboys remains to be seen.

As for Jerry Jones’ comments on CeeDee Lamb? He may not have outright said that the star pass-catcher is available for trade, but it also doesn’t sound like he is completely opposed to hearing offers.