How will Cowboys, CeeDee Lamb be affected by blowingup WR market?

To obtain Jerry Jones’ own metaphor, we’re avoiding straight previous summertime and into fall with all the leaves that are beginning to hit the ground.

It’s just been one month giventhat the Cowboys owner and basic supervisor made headings with his agreement technique. Asked why there was so bit motion in the effort to re-sign his Big 3 of Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons, Jones selected foliage as his metaphor.

“We’d like to see more leaves fall,” Jones stated at the time. “We’d like to see more action. It’s called alternative quarterback. I’ve invested my life [playing] alternative quarterback. I desire to see some more cards played.”

As far as Lamb and the large receiver market, we have our newest pointer that the cards are flying intensely. On Thursday earlymorning, the Dolphins signed star receiver Jaylen Waddle to a three-year, $84.75 million extension with an excellent $76 million of that ensured.

Waddle is now the 4th receiver from the 2021 NFL Draft class, along with Amon-Ra St. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Nico Collins, to indication a mega extension. It’s an eyebrow-raising quantity of motion thinkingabout these gamers all have a year staying on their novice agreements, not to reference the franchise and shift tags that are frequently used in these circumstances. Throw in the early $96 million extension that A.J. Brown signed last month, and it feels like a downright stunning level of activity.

But it endsupbeing a lot more easytounderstand when framed versus what’s still to come — or rather, who is still to indication.

We’ve talked constantly at this point about the offers coming down the pipeline for Lamb, as well as Vikings All-Pro Justin Jefferson. With each passing offer, it begins to feel like other receivers are slotting themselves in under a couple of paydays that are about to blow the roofingsystem off the market.

The last numbers are difficult to guess, however you can see where this is heading. Three receivers now average $30 million or more per year, and 6 receivers are playing on offers valued at $100 million or more, with Davante Adams and St. Brown topping the market at $140 million and $120 million, respectively. Even more essential than the worth of the offer, guys like Brown and Waddle haveactually protected as much as 85-90% of their offers ensured.

With all of that in mind, it should not be a surprise if Jefferson winds up as the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback, topping Nick Bosa’s figures of a $170 million agreement and a $34 million wage.

We have the context hints to guess this about Jefferson, however what does it all mean for Lamb?

That settlement is a lot murkier, offered the appearing absence of interaction inbetween Lamb and the Cowboys. To this point, all we understand for sure is that Lamb is missing from the group’s voluntary offseason exercise while he waits for a brand-new offer. And certainly, we understand the Cowboys front workplace’s desire to see more leaves fall.

It feels difficult to think it’s gotten to this point. After all, Lamb was a first-team All-Pro in 2023 and balanced 87 captures and 1,132 getting lawns over the 3 years previous to that. It’s simple to picture a world where the Cowboys extend him for $25 million a year ahead of time — comparable to what we’re seeing right now with St. Brown, Smith and Waddle. Instead, the fifth-year choice on Lamb’s agreement is costing the Cowboys $17 million on this year’s income cap, impeding their capability to indication exterior totallyfree representatives. And of course, his ultimate offer oughtto quickly gobeyond $30 million per year.

Proactive habits hasn’t typically been the Cowboys’ strong fit when it comes to top-of-the-market gamers, . Lamb can ask Prescott about that, as the Cowboys’ beginning quarterback is in the middle of the 2nd agreement standoff of his profession.

And to be reasonable to the Cowboys, possibly this was all part of the strategy. It’s worth keepinginmind that Lamb and Jefferson are both represented by the firm CAA, which is one of the videogame’s greatest power brokers. Maybe it’s the gamers, simply as much as the groups waiting to see how these cards get dealt.

Whatever posturing that may be taking location feels unimportant at this point. Each passing offer that gets signed is a tip that, ultimately, Lamb and Jefferson are going to blow the receiver market sky-high. The just concern now is how numerous more leaves are left to fall.

David Helman covers the Dallas Cowboys for FOX Sports and hosts the NFL on FOX podcast. He formerly invested 9 seasons covering the Cowboys for the group’s authorities site. In 2018, he won a local Emmy for his function in producing “Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion” about the quarterback’s time at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter at @davidhelman_.