The Cowboys enter the 2024 NFL season with all sorts of question marks hanging over their heads.
Mike McCarthy’s squad is the league’s most prominent brand. That hasn’t brought tangible success with it, however, as Dallas is yet to make an NFC Championship Game since the 1995 season.
This year’s iteration of the roster is as precarious as it gets, with star quarterback Dak Prescott and leading wide receiver CeeDee Lamb both seeking contract extensions. Lamb’s deal is of special importance to the masses of Cowboys supporters after he posted career highs in catches (135), receiving yards (1,749), and touchdowns (12) en route to garnering his first-ever All-Pro nod.
NEW NFL RULE EXPLAINERS: Kickoffs | Guardian caps | No chain gang
Lamb’s contract is nowhere near commensurate with his recent production. He’s made that point more than clear to Dallas executives — so much so that he’s stepped away from the team entirely to figure out his future.
With that, here’s what you need to know about CeeDee Lamb’s whereabouts.
DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: 2024 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet
Where is CeeDee Lamb?
Lamb has been holding out for the better part of the offseason, opting against reporting to training camp after missing out on “the type of contract extension that other wide receivers have,” according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“Lamb and the team have worked on a new contract but have not been able to come to terms,” NFL insider Ian Rapoport added. “Now, he’ll officially be a holdout, collecting fines with hopes of reaching a new deal at some point.”
Lamb is in the final year of his contract, which would only pay him $ 17.99 million this season. That would make him the 24th highest-paid receiver in the league in terms of average annual value (AAV), placing him alongside the likes of Browns WR Jerry Jeudy ($ 17.5 million) in terms of market value.
Lamb’s contract value is a far cry from the AAV of his elite peers like Vikings’ Justin Jefferson ($ 35 million), Eagles’ A.J. Brown ($ 32 million), and Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown ($ 30 million), who have earned megadeals this offseason.
There’s a belief among Cowboys personnel, including Micah Parsons, that Lamb will be back in the silver and blue sooner rather than later. Parsons revealed that Lamb has been in regular contact with him over the course of his holdout.
“CeeDee checked in on me,” Parsons said recently, via Dallas’ official site. “He’s been watching the practice film and telling me, ‘You’re going crazy.’ We have our talks but, at the end of the day, [he] knows what it is.”
At present, though, Lamb is away from the team. Parsons did seem to suggest — or perhaps state bluntly — that things could change in the coming few weeks.
“CeeDee is a part of this brotherhood whether he likes it or not,” Parsons said. “He knows he’s not going anywhere. The business side, they’re gonna take care of it — no doubt about it.
“On Week 1, he will be suiting up for the Dallas Cowboys.”
MORE: NFL Preseason injury tracker | RB depth charts
CeeDee Lamb contract
As mentioned above, Lamb is only slated to make $ 17.99 million during the 2024 season if he and the Cowboys cannot reach a deal. If no extension is completed, Lamb would become an unrestricted free agent going into 2025.
| Year | Age | Value |
| 2024 | 25 | $ 17.99 million |
| 2025 | 26 | UFA |
Highest-paid NFL wide receivers
Top NFL wide receiver contracts in average annual value
| Rank | Player | Average annual value |
| 1 | Justin Jefferson, 49ers | $ 35 million |
| 2 | A.J. Brown, Eagles | $ 32 million |
| 3 | Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions | $ 30.002 million |
| 4 | Tyreek Hill, Dolphins | $ 30 million |
| 5 | Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins | $ 28.25 million |
| 6 | Davante Adams, Raiders | $ 28 million |
| 7 | Cooper Kupp, Rams | $ 26.7 million |
| 8 | DeVonta Smith, Eagles | $ 25 million |
| 9 | Nico Collins, Texans | $ 24.25 million |
| 10 | DK Metcalf, Seahawks | $ 24 million |
Top NFL wide receiver contracts in total value
| Rank | Player | Value |
| T-1 | Justin Jefferson, Vikings | $ 140 million |
| T-1 | Davante Adams, Raiders | $ 140 million |
| 3 | Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions | $ 120.01 million |
| 4 | Tyreek Hill, Dolphins | $ 120 million |
| 5 | Amari Cooper, Browns | $ 100 million |
| 6 | A.J. Brown, Eagles | $ 96 million |
| 7 | Calvin Ridley, Titans | $ 92 million |
| 8 | Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins | $ 84.75 million |
| 9 | Keenan Allen, Bears | $ 80.1 million |
| 10 | Cooper Kupp, Rams | $ 80.1 million |
