The Dallas Cowboys and star receiver CeeDee Lamb have agreed to a four-year, $136 million contract extension, Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein confirmed, ending Lamb’s refusal and temporarily calming the team’s tensions.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter the deal was reported first.
The contract comes with $100 million in guarantees. It is the second-largest non-quarterback contract in NFL history, behind Justin Jefferson’s four-year, $140 million extension he signed with the Minnesota Vikings in June.
Lamb, 25, was held out of the Cowboys’ training camp while he sought a new contract more in line with the money of a top wide receiver, and that’s exactly how he’s performed since being drafted in the first round in 2020. Last season, Lamb was named first-team All-Pro after catching 135 passes for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns, along with two rushing touchdowns.
He is also a three-time Pro Bowler with three consecutive seasons of 1,000+ yards receiving, and along with Dak Prescott, forms one of the NFL’s best quarterback-wide receiver combinations.
Lamb was entering the final season of his rookie contract and received $17.9 million this season on a fifth-year option the Cowboys exercised. His extension pays him in line with a buoyant wide receiver market that has seen Jefferson, AJ Brown and Amon-Ra St. Brown earn deals worth more than $30 million per season this offseason.
The deal offers some relief in an uncertain offseason in Dallas and allows Lamb to practice again with two weeks to go before the start of the season. The Cowboys open their regular season on Sept. 8 at the Cleveland Browns.
What will come out of the talks with Dak Prescott?
The subject of Prescott’s long-term status remains unresolved. Prescott is entering the final season of a four-year, $160 million contract and is expected to become a free agent at the end of next season unless an extension is agreed upon.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has offered vague updates on contract talks with Prescott, telling reporters last week that he was “just continuing to talk.”
“The point is, because we’re actually in the season, training and doing all those things, we’re doing very well under the current contract,” Jones said, according to the team’s website.
“You should be able to operate under that, but we have it now in the NFL — other teams are struggling with it — with some time left on the contract, you can still have a contract meeting. And that’s what we do. None of us — player or team — want to hurt your preparation or your opportunity to play your best.”
Prescott, meanwhile, hasn’t lasted. He’s remained with the team through training camp and the preseason. Until and if he gets an extension, his status with the Cowboys beyond next season will remain a storyline in Dallas.
But the good news for the Cowboys and their fans is that Prescott has his best weapon back in the lineup for the start of a regular season that will once again bring high expectations.
