The Dallas Cowboys have the highest expectations set upon them going into the 2024 NFL season. Team owner Jerry Jones made as much clear when he declined to give head coach Mike McCarthy a contract extension. Now in the last year of his deal, McCarthy is a lame duck coach who needs a deep playoff run in order to possibly have a job in Dallas in 2025. Winning the Super Bowl is the only way he can guarantee it.
Additionally, Dallas is still trying to work out a contract extension with star quarterback Dak Prescott. He, too, is in the final year of his contract. Since the Cowboys will not be able to use the franchise tag on him after this year, they need to re-sign him early or risk losing him to free agency.
Prescott, at least, was with the team and participating in their offseason program despite his contract status. The same cannot be said for All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who is holding out until he gets a new deal.
How Much Does Dallas Cowboys Wide Receiver CeeDee Lamb Want to Be Paid?
Earlier this offseason, the Detroit Lions gave their All-Pro wide receiver, Amon-Ra St. Brown, a four-year $120 million contract. Later, the Minnesota Vikings gave Justin Jefferson a four-year deal worth $140 million.
Obviously, the price for All-Pro wide receivers is going up. Over in San Francisco, the 49ers are locked in their own contract negotiations with Brandon Aiyuk. They have offered a deal that would pay him $26 million annually, but he has turned it down. Apparently, he wants at least $30 million per year like St. Brown in Detroit.
Based on these figures, it stands to reason that Lamb, too, is looking for a new deal that will pay him $30 million a season. The tough part for Dallas is that they also want to extend Prescott, who could command as much as $60 million a season. On the other side of the ball, Micah Parsons could make close to or more than $30 million a year on his next extension.
In other words, if Dallas wants to extend all three of their stars, they may have to give them a combined $120 million a year.
The Dallas Cowboys Could Trade CeeDee Lamb to the Buffalo Bills
Dallas has made it known that they are prioritizing Prescott’s extension over the other deals that they need to get done. If no progress is made on Lamb’s deal, they could look into trading him for draft capital and to save money on their salary cap.
One trade proposal posted by Paul Silano Jr. of Give Me Sport sees the Cowboys trading Lamb to the Buffalo Bills. In this scenario, the terms of the trade would be:
-Bills receive: CeeDee Lamb
-Cowboys receive: 2025 first round pick, 2025 second round pick, 2025 sixth round pick, 2026 first round pick
Silano defends his proposal with:
“A trade for Lamb would be a hefty price for GM Brandon Beane to pull off, but it would guarantee that QB Josh Allen would have an elite WR1 to throw to in the middle of his prime. While Diggs was exiting his prime, Lamb is just entering it. Similar to Diggs, Lamb is extremely versatile and can play outside and in the slot.”
While Lamb would be an incredible get for Buffalo, this trade would not bode well for Dallas in the present. As stated at the beginning of this article, Coach McCarthy has a great deal to lose this season if he does not lead the Cowboys on a deep run in the NFL Playoffs.
Trading away Dallas’ best wide receiver for future draft picks would only mean one thing: they are punting on the season and are ready to flip the page to a new era. This could cost them Prescott, too, leaving them without a star quarterback and wide receiver in 2025.
Sure, those first round picks are nice; but Dallas is in win-now mode.
This deal would not help them win now.
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