Dallas Cowboys CeeDee Lamb Trade Gossip: The Mess That Jerry Jones Has Made

Mike Fisher | Apr 10, 2024

FRISCO - It is not a revelation to say that the Dallas Cowboys front office seems to often outsmart itself in contract negotiations, dragging its feet ... and then eventually "losing'' the deal by giving in to the player, making various stars "the highest-paid'' this and that.

And now they are doing it again, with semi-plausible scenarios revolving around the idea of trading Dallas superstar wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.

And why? Why in thw world would there be speculation about a young alpha wide receiver who can haul in 100-plus receptions and double-digit touchdowns on a yearly basis and has done all of it with consistency while also being a good soldier otherwise?

Two reasons ...

One, team owner Jerry Jones is hinting at a question about Lamb's contractual value.

And two, Dallas' inactivity - not just on Lamb's deal, but on progress with Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons, too - creates a void that is being filled with puzzlement. Which leads to speculation, rumors and gossip.

"He's out there and he's more valuable than anybody else," Jones said recently, and maybe he should've left it at that.

"But,'' Jerry added, "that valuable, to have to give up four or five players to have him, you have to get that reconciled. That's what I'm trying to say. It's a lot quicker and easier said than done."

"Give up four or five players?'' What? More Jerry ...

"Whoever has CeeDee, and I hope it's us, they're going to use him," Jones said. "You have to. You just have to get that kind of mileage out of him. ...''

"Whoever has CeeDee''? What? Jerry - YOU HAVE HIM!

It doesn't take a conspiracy theorist to wonder: Is Jones using zany public comments to dangle Lamb to potential bidders? What five guys could Dallas get? Whoever might want CeeDee?

Last season, Lamb put up 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns on 135 receptions. This is the sort of talent that gets paid. Period. The Cowboys can try to keep a lid on the idea that Lamb will end up in the $30 million APY range - which would make him among the highest-paid ever at the position - but they cannot keep the player, long-term, without paying the freight.

Lamb is presently due $17.88 million for 2024, and then set for free agency (or a franchise tag?) in 2025. The frugality of this front office has Cowboys Nation worried ... even though Lamb is saying all the right things about wanting to be a Cowboy.

COO Stephen Jones has tried to steer the conversation in the right direction, too, saying, “Our goal is to extend CeeDee and plan to do that. ... The point is that we do want to extend CeeDee.”

That's a difficult thing to do, though, when negotiations do not seem to be active - or, at least, not as active as the team's public comments that lead to the gossip. And gossip, though it grabs headlines, is not a productive foundation for a football team.