CeeDee Lamb's effort to get a new contract spilled into minicamp.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Tuesday that Lamb has not been spotted in Dallas for mandatory minicamp, per sources informed of the situation.
Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy later confirmed that Lamb was not present for the start of minicamp. Star pass rusher Micah Parsons, who also is eligible for a contract extension, was at the facility on Tuesday for workouts, McCarthy told reporters.
Lamb previously had skipped voluntary workouts and will now avoid the only mandatory work during the offseason workout program. Missing mandatory minicamp subjects a player to fines, however, with Lamb playing under the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, fines for skipping offseason work can be waived, as we saw last year with Nick Bosa in San Francisco.
The 25-year-old wideout seeks an extension that would better align his compensation with the burgeoning receiver market. Lamb has generated three consecutive 1,000-plus yard seasons, including 1,749 yards and a league-high 135 catches in 2023.
Lamb is due $17.991 million on the fifth-year option.
Justin Jefferson's four-year, $140 million extension this week provides Lamb and the Cowboys the framework for a potential extension. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones noted ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft that he wanted to “see more leaves fall” before dealing with extensions in his building. For the Lamb negotiations, the biggest leaf fell on Monday.
The Cowboys likely aren't fretting about Lamb disrupting his production by missing three more days of June practice. The wideout has worked out independently and even gotten in some sessions with Dak Prescott away from the facility this offseason.
The next landmark to see if sides progress toward a new deal will be training camp in mid-July. If an agreement isn't reached by then and Lamb continues to sit out, the angst could ratchet up, particularly given the wideout's importance to the offense.
