The ‘Boys are headed back to Oxnard, California, but, unsurprisingly, Pro Bowl wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is not among them.
Lamb will not be reporting to Dallas Cowboys training camp on Wednesday and is holding out as he seeks a contract extension, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Tuesday. Lamb and the club have worked on a new contract, but have failed to come to an agreement and now he'll become a holdout.
NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported earlier Tuesday that Lamb was not on the team plane bound for California and now he'll become a holdout on Wednesday, the team's official reporting day.
It’s the continuation of an offseason-long stalemate between one of the game’s greatest receivers and the team that drafted him. Lamb, 25, has been absent for voluntary workouts and mandatory minicamp. As was the case with latter, Lamb is subject to daily fines. Set to play on the fifth-year option of his rookie deal, Lamb will be fined $40,000 per day for each practice missed.
In an offseason in which many of his elite WR brethren -- the Minnesota Vikings’ Justin Jefferson, the Philadelphia Eagles’ A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and the Detroit Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown, among them -- have landed lucrative extensions, Lamb is looking to get what he believes he’s earned.
The 2020 NFL Draft first-rounder is due $17.9 million in 2024 on the fifth-year option.
Lamb’s coming off his third straight Pro Bowl season and one in which he earned his first All-Pro accolade. He hauled in an NFL- and career-high 135 receptions for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns -- each of the latter also career bests.
A model of outstanding consistency, since a 935-yard rookie campaign, Lamb has recorded three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons with each of the last two coming on 100-plus catches.
Lamb is one three Dallas superstars in line for new deals, as quarterback Dak Prescott is likewise set to play the final year of his current contract, while linebacker Micah Parsons is also on the agenda for a mega-extension.
Likewise, Lamb joins a couple of teammates who have previously held out from Cowboys camp.
Running back Ezekiel Elliott, who re-signed with the team this offseason after a year playing for the New England Patriots, memorably held out in 2019 before inking a massive extension. Guard Zack Martin also held out last year before getting a raise and returning to the squad.
Lamb’s absence from the Cowboys has carried on through the offseason and now into training camp. Just when the sides can come to an agreement would now seem to be the top priority for America’s Team.