On Hold: CeeDee Lamb not expected to arrive at camp with Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are less than 24 hours away from their second major training camp holdout in two years. Last season, right guard Zack Martin put a pause on his Hall of Fame career as he stayed away from Oxnard as his teammates arrived to begin work on the 2023 campaign. Martin had two years remaining on his deal, but was underpaid compared to the guard market that had emerged since he locked in his extension in 2018.

Martin held out, got his raise and returned a few weeks later. Now, CeeDee Lamb is on a similar path.

Each day away from camp will result in a $50,000 fine and if Lamb doesn’t report for preseason games, he will then start missing regular season game checks.

Unlike Martin, Lamb only has one year remaining on his current deal and unlike Martin, Lamb is still playing on his NFLPA negotiated rookie contract, stuck with a fifth-year option only allowed for first-round players that keeps Lamb from achieving top-of-the-market money.

Lamb has been missing all offseason, again unlike Martin was. He skipped OTAs and mandatory minicamp in a quest to get a new contract. The option year is set to pay Lamb just under $18 million, while other top receivers in the game are earning $30-plus million annually.

Lamb is one of three Cowboys angling for new deals, including his quarterback Dak Prescott and All-World defender Micah Parsons. Prescott is also in the final year of his deal, while Parsons is under contract through 2025. Prescott has a no-tag, no-trade clause, negotiated as part of his 2021 deal after Dallas drug their feet on extending his rookie contract and tagging him in 2020.

It appears that fate awaits Lamb and he’s doing everything in his power to avoid the constraints the market has set on him.