CeeDee Lamb is not reporting to training camp while he waits for a new contract, a person familiar with the All-Pro wide receiver’s decision told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because contract discussions are private.
Lamb skipped the Cowboys’ June minicamp, which started the day after Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson agreed to the richest non-quarterback contract in NFL history.
The Vikings’ star receiver is getting $110 million guaranteed in a four-year deal that pays $88 million up front and could be worth as much as $140 million.
Lamb and Jefferson were drafted in the first round in 2020, which means both are entering the final year of their rookie contracts.
The average per year on Jefferson’s new deal is $35 million, almost twice the $18 million Lamb is due coming off a career year on a team that has made the playoffs for three consecutive seasons.
There isn’t great urgency for Lamb to get to training camp without many changes on offense in the second year of coach Mike McCarthy calling plays for quarterback Dak Prescott.
In the first year of that arrangement, Lamb had career highs with an NFL-leading 135 catches for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Lamb’s absence is reminiscent of Ezekiel Elliott in 2019. The two-time rushing champ held out the entire camp with two years left on his rookie contract, anticipating that the Cowboys would eventually use the franchise tag on Elliott.
Days before the start of the regular season five years ago, Elliott signed a $90 million extension. He was released in a cost-cutting move before the 2023 season but rejoined the Cowboys this year after spending a year with New England.
The Cowboys didn’t expect Lamb to be available when they had the 17th pick in the first round in 2020. Dallas didn’t hesitate to grab him, and that development led to the Cowboys trading former No. 1 receiver Amari Cooper before the 2022 season.
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