Amid an explosion in the NFL wide receiver market, a few prominent pass catchers have entered official holdouts as they try to join the party.
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk each skipped the start of their teams’ mandatory minicamps on Tuesday. Both are looking for long-term extensions as they approach the final year of their rookie contracts.
Lamb and Aiyuk were both first-round selections in the 2020 draft and are under contract through 2024 via team options exercised by the Cowboys and 49ers. Lamb is due $17.9 million in 2024 after making $14.1 million in the first four years of his rookie deal. Aiyuk is due $14.1 million after making $12.5 million in his first four seasons. Both have surpassed their rookie deals and are in line for a lucrative long-term extension.
They begin their holdouts a day after Justin Jefferson and the Minnesota Vikings reset the wide receiver market with a four-year, $140 million contract extension. His average annual salary of $35 million makes Jefferson the highest-paid non-quarterback in football.
Jefferson’s contract tops a three-year, $96 million extension that AJ Brown signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in April, putting even more pressure on the Cowboys and 49ers to pay for Lamb and Aiyuk.
A three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro, Lamb is certainly looking for a contract near the top of the market after leading the league in receptions last season. Lamb racked up 135 catches for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns, cementing his status among the top NFL receivers.
Aiyuk isn’t on the same page, but has put himself in line for a big extension with a breakout campaign for a 49ers team that made the Super Bowl last season. Aiyuk racked up 75 catches for 1,342 yards and eight touchdowns as an integral weapon in San Francisco’s offense.
Aiyuk begins his holdout on the same day Christian McCaffrey agreed to a two-year, $38 million contract extension that will increase his salary by $4 million in each of the next two seasons and add $24 million in guaranteed money . McCaffrey is the highest-paid running back in football.
Under the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, Lamb and Aiyuk must each pay a $16,953 fine on Tuesday for missing minicamp. If they were to miss all three days of the mini-camp, the fines could total about $100,000.
