Odegard: Cardinals Should Pursue A Trade For CeeDee Lamb

It only took a three-letter Tweet from CeeDee Lamb on Thursday to set the NFL world ablaze.

The star receiver wants a huge payday after a 1,749-yard campaign in 2023, and found it laugh out loud funny when Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told reporters that there isn’t urgency to get a deal done.

Lamb has not reported to training camp, and while most teams eventually iron out these issues with their stars, the Cowboys must also pay Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons.

So while Dallas shouldn’t trade a top-5 NFL receiver who won’t turn 26 years old until April, the longer this goes on, the more it feels possible, partly because of the cap squeeze and partly because of Jones’ hubris.

Cardinals Should Urgently Pursue CeeDee Lamb

And who should be the first team calling if Lamb lands on the trade block? The Arizona Cardinals.

In his season-and-a-half with the club, GM Monti Ossenfort has used a patient, measured approach to first tear down the roster and then slowly build it back up.

It’s a smart philosophy, to build through the draft and avoid the sometimes-treacherous high-end trade and free agent market.

The 2025 offseason has long been earmarked as the time to make their push – the Cardinals have an NFL-high $81.2 million in cap space next year – but Lamb is the type of guy for whom you move up the timeline.

Lamb is close with former college teammate Kyler Murray, so while Arizona isn’t yet a destination team for most players, the combination of cash and friendship would pique the star pass-catcher’s interest.

And while the Cardinals have a ground-and-pound philosophy on offense, the addition of Lamb would mirror the roster construction of the Eagles, who run the ball well with a mobile quarterback but didn’t hesitate to pair A.J. Brown with DeVonta Smith when the opportunity arose.

Just think about it: a physical offensive style that has Lamb, Marvin Harrison, Jr. and Trey McBride as receiving threats? An offensive nucleus of those three, along with Murray, Paris Johnson, Michael Wilson and Trey Benson, none of whom are older than 27?

Lamb will want more than $30 million per year on a new deal, but the cap charge won’t approach that in 2024 or 2025, giving Ossenfort plenty of room to maneuver. And Harrison’s rookie deal makes the pairing palatable for the foreseeable future.

The 49ers have to pay Brock Purdy this offseason and have a lot of their key players either in the decline phase or approaching it. Aaron Donald retired this offseason, and Matthew Stafford is on an expiring deal with the Rams. The Seahawks are in purgatory and have a new coach who could be ready to turn over the roster.

The Cardinals have been in the NFC West basement for awhile, but the tide is ready to turn.

They will have to pay the price on a trade for Lamb, of course. At least one first-round pick, plus more, which won’t be easy to swallow for someone like Ossenfort, who has been hoarding picks since his arrival in Arizona.

But the upside is that Lamb will be available this season, helping to push that pick lower in the first round. And the early speculation from analysts is that the 2025 draft is quite weak.

No matter what happens on offense, the Cardinals defense is going to stink in 2024, and will need some serious reinforcements to be competent in 2025.

But the passing game is the most important part of any NFL team, and sending it into warp drive would give the Cardinals a fighting chance at a playoff spot in 2024, and an exciting setup for 2025.

The trade for Hollywood Brown didn’t work out for the Cardinals, but that shouldn’t be a factor here. Lamb’s production is on another level. He’s a superstar, and those don’t grow on trees.

Even with all of their cap space, the Cardinals are not guaranteed to land elite players in free agency next offseason, because of franchise tags and leaguewide competition for players.

Lamb could be there for the taking right now, and if he is available, the normally-patient Ossenfort should show some urgency and kickstart the Cardinals’ return to relevance.