Cowboys’ Offer to CeeDee Lamb Would Make Him One of NFL’s Highest Paid WRs: Report

Star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb remains in a contract holdout as the final week of preseason play nears. Lamb has been holding out from Dallas Cowboys training camp in search of a new deal, and thus far, the two sides haven’t been able to reach an agreement on a contract.

More news: Cowboys Star CeeDee Lamb Posts Cryptic Photo Amid Contract Holdout

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson reset the market when he signed a four-year, $140 million deal to become the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history this offseason. It’s unclear what Lamb wants, but it is clear that the Cowboys have yet to offer it to him.

On Tuesday, ESPN reported that the Cowboys have offered Lamb a contract that would make him the second-highest-paid receiver in the NFL behind Jefferson. This is in line with a report from Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News, stating the Cowboys offered Lamb a contract “slightly under $33 million per season.”

Read more: Cowboys’ Reported Contract Offer to CeeDee Lamb Revealed

The fact that Lamb has yet to accept the offer lends credence to the fact that he wants more money. While the two sides haven’t made a deal yet, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told reporters on Tuesday that he was optimistic a deal would get done.

“Well, I think I am and when I say that, it doesn’t sound too promising,” Jones said. “The facts are that I believe we’ll come together. I don’t want to speak for him. That’s what I’m trying not to do. But we wouldn’t have offered him what we’ve offered him if we didn’t want him to be here.”

Read more: Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones ‘Optimistic’ a Deal With CeeDee Lamb Will Happen

Last week, Cowboys Chief Operating Officer and co-owner Stephen Jones spoke to Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports, and made it sound like the team was already preparing for what the offense would look like with Lamb’s new contract.

“He’s going to touch the ball a ton — for what we’re going to have to pay him, he better,” Jones said. “I told (head coach) Mike (McCarthy) things can’t change. He’s got to be targeted 12 to 15 times a game. You got to hand it to him a couple more times. So I don’t see that changing in the least bit. He’s our No. 1 go-to guy.”

Read more: Cowboys to Increase CeeDee Lamb’s Touches Due to Massive Contract, Says Stephen Jones

The Cowboys open the regular season in less than three weeks on Sunday, Sept. 8 against the Cleveland Browns.