Another day in the NFL offseason means more peculiar comments from Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. This time Jones appears to be pondering whether it is preferable to have CeeDee Lamb as opposed to “four or five players.”
“He’s out there and he’s more valuable than anybody else,” Jones said on March 26, 2024, per DallasCowboys.com’s Nick Harris. “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.”
The Cowboys are staring at a future where Lamb, Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons are among the star players that are headed for massive contract extensions. Jones also oddly left the door open for Lamb to be playing elsewhere by saying “whoever has CeeDee” referring to the future.
“Whoever has CeeDee, and I hope it’s us, they’re going to use him,” Jones noted. “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 gotta have focus.”
Cowboys Rumors: Jerry Jones’ Comments Opens Up the Door for a Potential CeeDee Lamb Trade
Before Cowboys fans hit the panic button, Lamb is still under contract with Dallas for 2024. Lamb is slated to play on a fifth-year option with a $17.9 million salary this season.
Without a new contract extension, Lamb could become a free agent in 2025, but the Cowboys have the ability to use the franchise tag on the wideout if no new deal is reached. Sports Illustrated’s Mike Fisher finds Jones’ comments particularly strange, essentially opening the door for a potential blockbuster trade.
“Meaning CeeDee Lamb at $30 million a year and the Joneses are trying to wrap their heads around whether it would be better to have five ‘Junior’ Fehokos than one CeeDee Lamb,” Fisher said of Jones’ comments during a March 27 live stream. “I’m exaggerating a little bit, [but] that’s what he said.
“And then of course it leads to the next level of speculation. Are we talking about a Herschel Walker deal? ‘Let’s trade CeeDee Lamb for five players.’”
Cowboys Star CeeDee Lamb’s Projected Market Value Is a 4-Year, $115 Million Deal
What Jones is likely getting at is how the cap hit for Lamb in future years compares to potentially signing a group of less notable players. Spotrac projects Lamb’s market value to be a four-year, $115 million deal. This would give Lamb an average annual salary of $28.8 million.
Lamb was one of the Cowboys few consistent playmakers in 2023, accounting for a good portion of the team’s offensive production. The star receiver is coming off a career year with 135 catches for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns in 17 appearances. Lamb also added 14 carries for 113 rushing yards and 2 TDs on the ground.
Chances are this is more of Jones just talking and a deal gets done. The last time the Cowboys traded a star receiver it did not work out so well. The team is still searching to replace Amari Cooper’s production alongside Lamb.
