FRISCO, Texas – No surprise here, but the Cowboys just turned CeeDee Lamb's four-year deal into a five-year deal with one swift move.
The Cowboys have picked up Lamb's fifth-year option, which is available for first-round picks. Lamb, who is coming off a career season in which he was a Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro, is expected to count $17.99 million in 2024, assuming the Cowboys don't get a long-term deal in place before then. This season, Lamb is expected to count just $4.45 million on the cap, with a $2.52 base salary.
The NFL has its own formula to calculate the fifth-year option figures, depending on both the position of the player and their success during their first three seasons.
Lamb had 107 receptions in 2022, the third-most in Cowboys history. His 1,359 receiving yards and nine touchdown catches were also career-highs.
This option not only keeps Lamb in the mix for two more years, but also paves the way for a possible franchise tag for Trevon Diggs after next year. Diggs is entering the final year of his four-year contract.
This marks the first time since 2016 (Ezekiel Elliott) the Cowboys have picked up a fifth-year option on a player. The Cowboys didn't have a 2019 first-round pick (Amari Cooper trade) and the year before, decided against picking up Leighton Vander Esch's option as the 2018 first-round pick. Taco Charlton, the first-round pick in 2017, was no longer on the roster after three seasons. Zeke's option was picked up but he signed a long-term deal before the start of the 2019 season.
The last player to actually play on the fifth-year option for the Cowboys was Byron Jones, who played on a $6.2 million base salary in 2019, the last season he played in Dallas.
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