FRISCO, Texas – Ah, the tension, the hysteria, the overreaction in the contract negotiations between the Cowboys and CeeDee Lamb.
And in the end, on Monday the Cowboys packaged his guaranteed fifth-year option worth $17.99 million into a four-year, $136 million extension package that CeeDee signed on Tuesday, giving the two sides an agreement to remain in cahoots for five more seasons of football.
Come on, you knew this was finally going to happen. There was no way the Cowboys could have started the 2024 season without last year’s NFL receptions leader, the man who rewrote the franchise receptions record book with his 135 catches for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns, plus two more carries for a total of 14 touchdowns in a single season.
That’s the most touchdowns scored since Ezekiel Elliott’s 14 in 2019 and also the most since Elliott’s 16 touchdowns in his rookie season in 2016.
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Dez Bryant had 16 touchdowns in 2014. Terrell Owens had 15 in 2007, and Emmitt Smith had 15 in 1998 and 1996. So in historical context, CeeDee’s 14 touchdowns in 2023 are just two shy of the Cowboys’ most touchdowns in a season over the past 28 years. For more, you have to go back to 1995, when Smith set the franchise touchdown record and, at the time, the NFL record of 25.
Come on, Jerry Jones is no fool. He knows this Cowboys team needs Lamb. And CeeDee is no fool. He’s not going to give up $1 million per game to extend his contract extension into the regular season. That was always clear, the breathless rhetoric was a waste of time.
This reminds me of the summer of 1992, when the second of the Cowboys of the now four 88s, Michael Irvin, was hoping for a new contract. The difference was that CeeDee and Jerry were fighting over millions. Michael and Jerry were fighting over a few hundred thousand dollars.
But for those not old enough to remember, Michael missed all of training camp that year. In fact, the season opener was scheduled for Monday night, September 7, and Michael and his local agent, Steve Endicott, didn’t get past me at the Ranch until Thursday night, September 3, to sign a three-year, $3.75 million contract. Irvin had only one practice in protective gear before suiting up for the home game against the Redskins.
Come on, like Michael was going to miss a nationally televised Monday night game, a paycheck, a chance to renew his rivalry with Washington cornerback Darrell Green. As soon as Michael was signed, head coach Jimmy Johnson declared, “He’s not going to start the opening game.” That honor went to the guys in training camp: Alvin Harper, Kelvin Martin and Alexander Wright.
And, my goodness, Michael wasn’t there from the start. Ha, came in on the Cowboys’ second offensive play. Caught five passes for 89 yards. Caught 12 passes for 283 yards and four touchdowns in the next two games. He led the Cowboys with 78 catches for 1,396 yards (17.9 per catch) and seven touchdowns. Caught 18 more passes in the playoffs for 288 yards and two touchdowns, both in the Cowboys’ 52-17 victory over Buffalo in Super Bowl XXVII.
My money is on CeeDee facing Cleveland on September 8th having already completed two training sessions with protective gear.
What’s up, CeeDee? Are you ready for the opener?
“Yeah, brother,” Lamb said of the meeting with Cleveland, even though he hadn’t played a game or practiced with the team since the 48-32 playoff loss to Green Bay on Jan. 14. “No question.”
No question had to be asked.
- Dollar and meaning: So the raw numbers of Lamb’s contract amount to a four-year extension worth $136 million, a $38 million signing bonus, $67 million guaranteed at signing and $100 million guaranteed in total, for an annual average of $34 million. What isn’t immediately clear is that the Cowboys still had to factor in his $17.99 million guaranteed fifth-year option for 2024 that became part of the package. So the Cowboys actually have control over CeeDee for five full years, meaning the average of his signing bonus and five base salaries is exactly $31 million per year. And while the extension allows for a pro-rating of the $7.6 million signing bonus over five years, his cap hit for 2024 is $8.75 million, freeing up about $9.25 million in cap space that year. Oh, but next year CeeDee’s salary cap hits $35.45, and now you understand the Cowboys’ concerns about signing Dak Prescott to an extension, with Micah Parsons hot on his heels. But know this: CeeDee’s final annual base salary of $30.99 million for 2028 is not guaranteed, so as far as guaranteed extension money goes, the Cowboys could walk away after four years for $122 million, with $7 million lost. So that makes the extension average $30.5 million. Structure, structure, structure.
- Add veterinarians: The Cowboys are working the system to sign two veteran players, defensive tackle Linval Joseph and running back Dalvin Cook. Joseph will be moved to the 53 to gain more experience and strength as a defensive tackle, and Cook will be moved to the practice squad, giving the veteran running back time to improve but still making him eligible for up to three game-day raises before he must decide whether to join the 53-man roster. Joseph, who will soon turn 36, brings 14 years of NFL experience for a base salary of $2 million, with the possibility of earning another $2 million in bonuses. As for Cook, the newly implemented maximum for practice squad veterans is $21,000 per week, but he will receive 1/18th of his negotiated base salary per game if it is increased to 53. The Cowboys realize that Cook needs to get in shape. After a proper workout, the Cowboys buy some time to further evaluate where he is in his career. The same could be true with veteran defensive end Carl Lawson, who was recently added to the 90-man roster and then released, but now bringing him back to the practice squad. Not only does that save them a roster spot at 53 for a guy who isn’t ready to play yet, but it also saves them salary cap space. Signing for the veteran minimum of $1.2 million works out to a savings of about $46,000 per week.
- Keep in mind: Remember, this is just the initial 53-man roster. Things can change, so players who feel like they’re on the edge of the 53 shouldn’t buy a house just yet. The Cowboys are still roster hunting, scouring the waiver list and looking at 31 other rosters for possible transfer candidates. The Cowboys will need to look for a more experienced backup cornerback, with DaRon Bland likely out for the first four games and previous fourth corner Caelen Carson now considered the starter. They also likely need more experienced depth on the offensive line at swing tackle and likely at defensive end, especially if they plan to use Micah Parsons at linebacker and forego retaining the suspended Al-Quadin Muhammad. We’re looking at veteran Tyus Bowser, who was plagued by injuries the last two seasons, missed all of 2023 with knee issues and was released by Baltimore this spring.
- Review. When researching the 1992 practice cap that Irvin missed, defensive end Tony Tolbert, strong safety James Washington, tight end Jay Novacek and center Mark Stepnoski also sat out that summer, which was more common at the time. I also noticed this when I wrote for our Cowboys newsletter at the time. The InsiderThe Cowboys were coming off an 11-5 season in 1991 and a first-round playoff win, polled 13 media representatives for their 1992 record predictions, with 11-5 coming closest to the Cowboys, who eventually finished 13-3. These were provided by veteran Dallas AP sports editor Denne Freeman and veteran, now retired Fort Worth Star-Telegram Columnist Gil LeBreton. And if I can pat myself on the back — and I probably will — my 12-4 prediction was the best, with one game to spare, thank you very much. Hey, the Cowboys had just completed the trade for Charles Haley, the final piece of the defensive puzzle.
- Irvin Part II: You know what else happened that year? Irvin was late for the team’s charter flight to Detroit, and when one of the flight attendants told Jimmy he was missing, Jimmy asked, “What time were we supposed to take off?” He was told 2 p.m. “What time is it?” At 2 p.m., it was “Close the door, let’s go,” and the Cowboys left Irvin behind to find his own scheduled flight to Detroit. When he arrived at the team hotel, Jimmy told the star receiver that his punishment was not to start and to sit out the first possession. When offensive coordinator Norv Turner found out, he asked Jimmy, “If we fire the kick, is that the first possession?” Er, no Norv, but Irvin caught five passes for 114 yards and scored a touchdown in a 37-3 victory over a Lions team that had beaten the Cowboys twice in 1991, the second time by a score of 38-6 in the second round of the playoffs. It was their longest playoff appearance since the 1982 NFL strike-shortened Super Bowl, which was limited to nine games.
- Dust clouds: How the NFL is shaping up, because during the 2023 NFL Draft, the Cowboys sent a 2024 fifth-round draft pick to Kansas City for the Chiefs’ No. 1 pick in the sixth round and selected cornerback Eric Scott, who they released on Tuesday in hopes of adding him to the practice squad. But who should claim Scott on their 53-man roster if not the Chiefs… Too bad Tennessee went with safety Julius Wood, but the Cowboys were well-stocked at safety with starters Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson and coveted backups Markquese Bell, Juanyeh Thomas and Israel Mukuamu… I’m glad those two cornerbacks made it off the waivers and onto the practice squad, Josh Butler and Kemon Hall, because the fourth cornerback spot is still up for grabs… As long as Damone Clark’s knee soreness improves and DeMarvion Overshown stays healthy, I really like the six-man linebacker corps, and even more so if Micah Parsons is also part-time… And don’t forget this when analyzing the running back corps for a home run hitter: The Cowboys will hand the ball to Lamb and KaVontae Turpin, who combined for 25 runs last season.
And for the final word of the day, we turn to owner Jerry Jones, who gave us this short but sweet saying about his conversations with CeeDee after handing him a sum of money the 25-year-old had never seen before. His statement about handling one’s money was replaced with “Be careful… be careful, look under the hood.”
Jerry says, “You don’t have to be smart to make money. You don’t have to. You can be very talented. You can be very determined. You don’t have to be smart to make money. But you have to be really smart to keep it.”
