FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is not present for the start of the team's mandatory minicamp that began on Tuesday, as he awaits a new contract extension this offseason from the front office.
His absence marks the beginning of an official holdout. Although he did not arrive for the team's voluntary OTA sessions over the course of the last couple of weeks, him being away from the facility on Tuesday marks his first workout missed that is mandatory. He is subject to a fine of $16,953 for missing Tuesday and as much as $50,855 for missing all three days of minicamp this week.
Lamb is on the precipice of landing a big contract extension on the heels of the Minnesota Vikings making Justin Jefferson the highest-paid non-quarterback in the history of the NFL with Monday's signing of a four-year/$140 million extension that ended his own respective holdout. With the Vikings welcoming in a rookie quarterback in J.J. McCarthy, the urgency to get a deal done for Minnesota resulted in Jefferson being the first of the major receivers to pop.
Other receivers awaiting deals include the Cincinnati Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase, the San Francisco 49ers' Brandon Aiyuk and Lamb. With the market now reset at the position, the dominoes could start to fall, or a holdout could continue throughout the summer for each.
For the Cowboys, head coach Mike McCarthy is heading into his second season as the team's play-caller which will allow him to have a smoother transition period with Lamb when he is able to return to the building. With that being said, there will still be a bit of catching up to do on Lamb's part as OTAs and minicamp have given the offense an opportunity to install more packages.
Away from the facility, Lamb has continued to work with specialized trainers around the Dallas area as well as Dak Prescott to keep their rhythm down going into 2024. If Lamb is unable to strike a deal before the end of minicamp, the next opportunity for him to rejoin the team will be at training camp in Oxnard, Calif. in late July.
