Dallas Cowboys star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is gearing up for what could be the biggest payday of his life this offseason. After leading the league this season with 135 receptions, Lamb told teammate Micah Parsons on his The Edge podcast that he wants to be “one of” the top-paid receivers in the league, if not the highest-paid.
Right now, Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill is the highest-paid with a per-year average salary of $30 million. As it stands, without an extension, Lamb would make $17.991 million in 2024 after the Cowboys opted in to his fifth year on his first-round rookie deal.
“I can’t give you no numbers right now, but I’ll tell you this, [I want to be] one of the top paid receivers for sure, if not the [highest-paid receiver],” Lamb said, via Jon Machota. “That’s always the goal.”
If there’s any reason why the Cowboys don’t make him a deal that makes him the top-paid receiver, it’s because Dallas has a lengthy list of upcoming free agents to consider re-signing, as well as multiple stars who are looking for contract extensions. The list of the Cowboys’ top upcoming free agents includes Tyron Smith, Tony Pollard, Stephon Gilmore, Tyler Biadasz, Dorance Armstrong Jr., Jayron Kearse, Jourdan Lewis, Johnathan Hankins, Neville Gallimore, Dante Fowler Jr., Chuma Edoga, Noah Igbinoghene and Rico Dowdle.
This season, Lamb posted 1,749 receiving yards (second in the league) and 12 touchdowns (third in the league) on 135 receptions (first in the league). Parsons told NFL Network’s Maurice Jones-Drew and Rhett Lewis over the weekend that he believes signing the former Sooner to his new deal is the team’s No. 1 priority.
Cowboys preparing to extend Dak Prescott
The Dallas Cowboys are also reportedly preparing to make quarterback Dak Prescott among the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league within the next few weeks. According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Jerry Jones’ squad will sign the former fourth-rounder to an extension before the free agency period begins.
“The Dallas Cowboys have a real deadline for Dak Prescott,” Rapoport shared before Super Bowl LVIII. “This should make him one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL. The Cowboys are going to want to go into free agency with maneuverability, they want to be able to sign guys, so they need to lower that cap number. The expectation is that the Cowboys will do a deal before free agency.”
Prescott was an MVP candidate this past season, throwing for 4,516 yards and 36 touchdowns, with only nine interceptions. He also rushed for 242 yards and two scores. He finished second in the voting for MVP behind winner Lamar Jackson.
Not only does the team believe in Prescott as the answer at quarterback, they also have little choice. The quarterback’s contract slams them with a nearly $60 million cap hit for 2024 and it includes no-trade and no-franchise tag clauses. His current contract has him as the 10th highest-paid QB in the league. His new deal could pay him upwards of $50 million a season.
