Just three days prior to the Dallas Cowboys' first preseason game, owner Jerry Jones said he had no "urgency" to get an extension worked out with wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.
Just minutes before the Cowboys' opener, Jones did his best damage control regarding the incendiary comments.
Speaking prior to the Cowboys-Los Angeles Rams game on Sunday, Jones attempted to clarify that there is no urgency to have Lamb ready at this juncture because he wouldn't be competing in the preseason.
"I think I got in trouble the other day when I said, 'Look, we're not urgent about CeeDee,'" Jones said in a pregame interview. "Well, no one appreciates CeeDee being on the field any more than I do. But let me say this: He wouldn't be taking a snap out here today if he'd been here for [training camp].
"You gotta use your head when you expose key players. That gives the other younger players a chance to do it. We know exactly what CeeDee can do, and he's worked out with Dak. So we wouldn't have him out here. It has really not anything to do with his contract."
It seemed to many that Jones' Thursday comments were related to Lamb's contract desires. One would assume the receiver was among those who took it that way, as he responded with a social media post of "lol."
Quarterback Dak Prescott, who like Lamb will not be playing Sunday, also told reporters Thursday that he had "urgency for it to happen."
Though Jones got in some "trouble" and clarified his tune, his Pro Bowl wideout is still a holdout looking for a lucrative extension.
While the Cowboys owner aimed to explain just what he meant three days earlier, he offered no update on when a resolution would conclude the offseason-long histrionics.
"So the bottom line is, what it is is… No, there's not that urgency. I understand completely the angst that's happening when you're anxious about and someone says anything about whether you're missed or not," Jones said. "Well, CeeDee, you're missed. But you're not missed out here competing and it doesn't put any pressure any place on us."
Amid an offseason overflowing with massive extensions for wide receivers, Lamb is looking for his own.
The 2020 first-round draft pick has made his stance known with his absence.
The 25-year-old, who is due $17.9 million in 2024 on the fifth-year option of his rookie deal, did not report for voluntary workouts or mandatory minicamp and has been a no-show at training camp.
Lamb, having established himself as one of the NFL's premier wide receivers, is coming off his best statistical season. He led the NFL with 135 receptions, which were a career high along with his 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns. He earned his third straight Pro Bowl honor and his initial All-Pro nod.
On Sunday, Jones did his best to explain some stirring comments, but there remains no timeline in regard to when one of the best wide receivers in the game will be back with the Cowboys.
