Cowboys 'Blow it Up' Plans: CeeDee Lamb Set Free? Jerry Jones' Controversial Reveal

Judging by comments from team owner Jerry Jones, the Dallas Cowboys could be preparing for a future without All-Pro receiver CeeDee Lamb.

Dec 30, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) runs the ball in / Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

To make an already confusing offseason for the Dallas Cowboys potentially even worse for fans, quarterback Dak Prescott may not be the only one with an uncertain future as team owner Jerry Jones is seemingly laying the groundwork for star receiver CeeDee Lamb hitting free agency as well.

"He's out there, and he's more valuable than anybody else," Jones said of Lamb’s expiring contract on Tuesday. "But 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."

It is the same argument that Jones laid out when speaking about a potential extension for Prescott. The 81-year-old is seemingly more fixated on what he'd lose with these market-setting extensions rather than recognizing that he’d have a 24-year-old First-Team All-Pro on his roster. 

"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. What has he shown us? That he's capable of carrying that load. We've gotta have focus."

Dec 30, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) runs the ball in / Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

The Cowboys certainly got their “mileage” out of Lamb this past season, as he put together a career year totaling a league-leading 135 receptions for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns. Lamb not only proved himself as one of the league’s top receivers but put his name in the Cowboys’ record books for receptions and yards. 

It is undeniable that Lamb made the Cowboys better last season. When Lamb and Prescott were on the same page, the Cowboys offense was at its best. In fact, finding ways to keep Lamb involved in the offense consistently was one of the major differences between the offense that predated the Week 5 blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers and the one after it. 

If the Cowboys' plan is, as our own Mike Fisher has often explained—let this coming season play out with Prescott, Mike McCarthy, and his coaching staff on one-year deals, then “blow it up” if a deep playoff run isn’t made—then why not keep a franchise building block in Lamb? 

If the post-Prescott plan is to find a “cheap” quarterback, then that removes a big cap hit off the Cowboys’ book, which in turn allows a piece of the proverbial pie for their new core of young players: Lamb, Micah Parsons, and potentially DaRon Bland. 

While a rebuild may be the route the Cowboys feel is necessary if they are to end their 28-year absence from the NFC Championship game, it would be undoubtedly made easier by having a 24-year-old Lamb on the roster.