NFL

Jones: Cowboys and Lamb having 'promising talks' over contract

By Sports Desk August 21, 2024

Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said there are "promising talks" happening with CeeDee Lamb regarding his contract extension.

Lamb is currently in the middle of a training camp holdout in a bid to earn a blockbuster new contract which has lasted nearly a month.

The wide receiver has so far skipped the Cowboys' mandatory minicamp in June, training camp, and preseason games against the Los Angeles Rams and the Las Vegas Raiders, totalling over $1million in fines.

On his current contract, Lamb is set to make just under $18million in 2024 but is seeking a deal that will put him among the NFL's highest-paid WRs.

According to reports, Dallas had made an offer to make him the second-highest paid behind Minnesota Vikings' Justin Jefferson, but it has not closed the gap.

Asked if he was optimistic that the two parties could agree on a deal, Jones said: "Well, I think I am and when I say that it doesn't sound too promising.

"The facts are that I believe we'll come together. I don't want to speak for him. That's what I'm trying not to do. But we wouldn't have offered him what we've offered him if we didn't want him to be here."

Lamb had 135 receptions from 181 targets through the 2023 season, which ended with the Cowboys suffering a stunning wild-card defeat to the Green Bay Packers.

Both of those figures were league highs, while only the Miami Dolphins' Tyreek Hill (1,799 yards, 13 touchdowns) bettered his 1,749 regular season receiving yards and 12 TDs.

Although Dallas narrowly lost their first preseason game against the Rams, they beat the Raiders on Sunday, with Jones admitting he was not concerned about the amount of time Lamb had missed.

"I don't mean that to be insensitive to our fans or to CeeDee, but we're in good shape there, and we are having promising talks," Jones added.

"You say, 'Well, why do you keep talking? Why don't you do something?' Again, as in anything, it takes both of you there at the same time.

"But I believe it's got the proper amount of everything - emphasis, importance - for everybody involved here, and we'll see how it goes."

The Cowboys will begin their NFL season against the Cleveland Browns on September 8.

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