Cowboys answer fans' prayers, sign CeeDee Lamb to monster contract extension

One down, two to go. After over a year of anticipation and stalling, the Dallas Cowboys have finally inked star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb to a contract extension.

Lamb has reportedly signed a four-year, $136 million extension, including $100 million guaranteed and a record $38 million signing bonus to boot, per NFL Media's Tom Peliserro. The deal makes Lamb the second-highest-paid receiver in league history behind Justin Jefferson.

Talks between Lamb and the Cowboys have been ongoing since training camp. That stalemate reached a fever peach when Jerry Jones napalmed social media a few weeks ago when he said he doesn't have urgency to get Lamb's deal done before the end of camp. That prompted Lamb to call out the owner, which marked his first public comment since his holdout started.

The Cowboys have been dragged for dragging their feet with Lamb's extension. While the journey was maddening, the destination is totally worth it as Dallas has one of the game's best wide receivers locked up for the remainder of his prime.

Cowboys finally sign CeeDee Lamb to huge contract extension

It look way longer than it should have and Cowboys fans were forced to sweat it out, but a Lamb extension has always been inevitable. The Cowboys were never going to let Lamb get away. He announced himself to the world as a superstar and is a unicorn at the wide receiver position.

Lamb is one of the few WRs that can handle over 160 targets and remain efficient. In other words, Dallas can build an elite offense around him being the focal point. The running game struggled mightily in 2023 and nobody stepped up as a reliable WR3. Even Brandin Cooks underwhelmed to an extent as the No. 2 behind Lamb. And yet, the offense produced elite numbers.

Dak Prescott's career year had a huge role in that, but Lamb was far and away the offense's most proficient skill-position player. The offense ran through him and defenses still had no answer.

On top of leading the NFL in catches and targets, Lamb finished top five in a number of other prominent categories: receiving yards (second), yards after the catch (second), yards per route run (fourth) and drop rate (fourth). He also ranked first with 1,977 scrimmage yards and 81 gains of 10 or more yards, per Pro football Focus.

Lamb's extension could have a trickle-down effect on Prescott's negotiation as well. It stands to reason that the Cowboys wouldn't pay Lamb (certainly not as much as they did) if they knew Lamb wouldn't have a good-to-great QB throwing to him. We'll see how it plays out but something tell us Dallas has an inkling that Prescott will re-sign.

In the meantime, the Cowboys deserve credit for locking up No. 88. Prescott and Micah Parsons will hopefully follow close behind, but this is a massive win for the organization that deserves to be celebrated given how the offseason has unfolded up until this point.

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