FRISCO, Texas — CeeDee Lamb is heading into an intriguing offseason fresh off of setting career-highs and franchise records for his 2023 season that saw him haul in 135 receptions for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns, as his career-best season has him in line to potentially become one of the league's highest-paid receivers this offseason.
Heading into his fifth and final year of his rookie contract, discussions for an extension for Lamb are expected to ramp up as the offseason kicks into high gear, and that topic was not shied away from when Lamb made an appearance on Micah Parsons' "The Edge" podcast in Las Vegas over the weekend.
"I can't give you no numbers right now," Lamb said about contract talks. "But I'll tell you this, one of the top paid receivers for sure, if not the [highest-paid receiver]. That's always the goal."
The receiver market is expected to see quite a bit of a reset this offseason with Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson also heading into the fifth year of his rookie deal and Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase heading into his fourth year. After strong starts to each of their careers, Jefferson, Chase and Lamb are expected to be the trio that will set the standard of receiver contract numbers moving forward.
For Lamb, there is no question where his heart lies in regards to signing that contract with Dallas long-term, as he has mentioned before wanting to be a "Cowboy for life."
"Absolutely," he said about his desire to spend his career with Dallas. "There's no secret about that."
His strong desire to stay with the Cowboys stems from the relationships he has in the locker room – most notably with quarterback Dak Prescott who he was seen having passionate conversations with during the playoff loss to Green Bay. Following the game, Lamb's mother took to Facebook to express her frustration with Prescott, but Lamb was quick to clear the air on Parsons' podcast about his feelings for his QB1.
"I have no beef with my quarterback," he said. "I love my dog, he knows that. Dak can definitely lead us [to a Super Bowl]. He just also needs other leaders, and that's why I'm pointing at myself. I can help him. He's already got so much on his plate."
Looking in the mirror seems to be an early theme for Lamb this offseason, and if he is looking to take another step in his game going into year-five, he sees maturity as an opportunity to be more of a leader and positive voice in-game.
"First and foremost, I do gotta grow up," he said. "There's plenty of ways for me to handle different situations. Me being mad is not one of the answers, I know this. I just feel like that's contagious. I can be more of a leader. I can be more vocal."
