Dallas Cowboys news since the start of the offseason has largely consisted of concerning updates on contract talks with CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott. With Week 1 fast approaching for both contract-year players, there’s finally some promising Cowboys news on the negotiating front.
Money isn’t the problem in Dallas. NFL revenue is skyrocketing to record highs every year and the Cowboys play a massive part in that. With more money coming in, salaries for the highest-paid NFL players exploded this offseason with NFL teams spending more than $1 billion on contract extensions for quarterbacks.
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- CeeDee Lamb contract ( Spotrac ): $17.991 million salary in 2024, 2025 NFL free agent
Amid non-stop Cowboys news of owner Jerry Jones downplaying the importance of contract extensions for the team’s star players, many of Prescott and Lamb’s peers have gotten paid. Thanks to summer extensions, the going rate for an All-Pro receiver now starts at $30 million annually while an MVP-caliber quarterback costs $55 million per season at a minimum.
It’s why the approach Dallas has taken has drawn criticism. NFL teams typically want to sign their best players to contract extensions early, getting ahead of things before the market gets out of control. The Cowboys’ front office has taken the opposite approach, slow-playing negotiations with Lamb and Prescott.
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However, senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler of ESPN wrote that the buzz coming out of Cowboys training camp is a common belief that Lamb will land a contract extension from Dallas and it could happen ‘soon’.
“Dallas considers itself further along on a new deal with Lamb than it is with Prescott. I’ve talked to multiple people who believe a Lamb extension will get done, possibly soon. But for now, he waits. The Cowboys have been talking to his agent, Tory Dandy, and Lamb’s stance is simple: His numbers and the market speak clearly. So the team knows this will ultimately have to be 30-plus million dollars annually for the star receiver.”
Jeremy Fowler on Dallas Cowboys’ negotiations on a CeeDee Lamb contract extension
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Things aren’t progressing nearly as well with Prescott. While Dallas has had some back-and-forth talks with its quarterback, a deal is “not considered close” at this time. However, the Cowboys front office does reportedly believe it’s in a better place than where things stood a year ago.
- Dak Prescott contract ( Spotrac ): $55.455 million cap hit in 2024, NFL free agent in 2025
Signing Lamb to a contract extension at any point in 2024 would be huge for Dallas. It would mean the team doesn’t need to use the franchise tag on him, which would’ve provided the All-Pro wideout with significant leverage in negotiations. It’s the strategy they used with Prescott years ago, which is why the Cowboys’ quarterback has a no-tag clause and holds total control in contract negotiations.
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If the Cowboys are successful in extending Lamb’s contract before Week 1 or during the regular season, it will allow the front office to focus entirely on negotiating a new deal with Prescott next offseason. That would also set up the team to get a deal done and then pursue a Micah Parsons contract extension next summer.
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