FRISCO, Texas — As rumors of a potential holdout swirl around CeeDee Lamb, the All-Pro wide receiver doesn't appear bothered, concerned or dismayed by his ongoing contract negotiations with the Dallas Cowboys.
Quite the contrary, actually, as the reigning NFL receptions leader made clear in a brief conversation with TMZ Sports — who caught up with Lamb during some offseason travel. As far as how his 2024 has gone thus far, he says it's been fairly stress-free.
"Relaxing, chilling, working out of course," said Lamb.
That certainly doesn't sound like the tone of a player who is worried about his future with the Cowboys, and the fact he was flashing his trademark ear-to-ear grin provided more evidence.
This week marks the beginning of voluntary OTAs for the Cowboys, with mandatory minicamp not scheduled to take place until June 4-6.
While it's unclear if he'll ultimately hold out to help hasten that endgame, what he said next leaves no room for interpretation, and should provide a sigh of relief for anyone outside of the building wondering if he'll take the field in one of the most pivotal Cowboys' seasons in recent memory..
"Winning — I'm looking forward to winning and being out there with my guys, and making another run at this thing," he said before circling back with his proclamation. "… Yeah, I'll be in Dallas!"
Lamb, a former first-round pick of the Cowboys in 2020, is set to enter the final year of his rookie deal come September — a fifth-year option that will pay him nearly $18 million unless a new deal is agreed upon before that time arrives.
He's one of three high priority extensions on the table for the Cowboys, alongside two other All-Pro talents, namely quarterback Dak Prescott and linebacker Micah Parsons. The latter has proclaimed he's willing to wait for major traction in his talks because he wants Lamb and Prescott to secure their new extensions first.
"I do know they've got to get CeeDee Lamb done," Parsons said in mid-February. "I think that's the priority right now, but if they're ready to talk about a deal and get a deal done, I'd be super excited. I'm ready to be a Cowboy for life. This is the team I wanted to be with [pre-draft]. This is the team that I want to win a championship with, and what's meant for me is what's meant for me.
"I'm not gonna rush the process. I'm just gonna enjoy the process and keep working until it's time."
Prescott declared “it’ll happen” in regards to his looming extension, and recently agreed to rework the numbers on his 2024 salary to allow for several million dollars to flow back toward the team's salary cap.
And considering Prescott's relationship and chemistry with Lamb, it's a foregone conclusion that the Cowboys will and are actively trying to lock both in for years to come.
The 25-year-old finished the 2023 season with career highs in receptions (135), receiving yards (1,749), receiving touchdowns (12), first downs (80), catch percentage (74.6%), yards per target (9.7), rushing attempts (14), rushing yards (113) and rushing touchdowns (2).
It seems Lamb is hellbent on becoming the latest GOAT to don a Cowboys' uniform.
