Dallas Cowboys Trade CeeDee Lamb? Jerry Jones Questions 'Value' Of Paying Star WR

The Dallas Cowboys have been abnormally quiet this offseason. Making little effort to bring back multiple key free agents, the plan on the surface seems apparent about cap-saving for future deals. One of those plausible scenarios revolves around Dallas’ superstar wide receiver in CeeDee Lamb.

Since arriving to Dallas, Lamb has lived up to his pre-draft billing as a ready-made alpha wide receiver who can haul in 100-plus receptions and double-digit touchdowns on a yearly basis.

So why is team owner Jerry Jones hinting at a question about Lamb's contractual value?

"He's out there and he's more valuable than anybody else," Jones said on Tuesday. "But that valuable, to have to give up four or five players to have him, you have to get that reconciled. That's what I'm trying to say. It's a lot quicker and easier said than done."

"Give up four or five players?'' What? More Jerry ...

"Whoever has CeeDee, and I hope it's us, they're going to use him," Jones said. "You have to. You just have to get that kind of mileage out of him. ...''

"Whoever has CeeDee''? What? Jerry - YOU HAVE HIM!

Jerry Jones, CeeDee Lamb

Abbie Parr/GettyImages

It doesn't take a conspiracy theorist to wonder: Is Jones using zany public comments to dangle Lamb to potential bidders? What five guys could Dallas get? Whoever might want CeeDee?

Last season, Lamb took that next step into the superstar stratosphere putting up 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns on 135 receptions. At points throughout the 2023-24 campaign for the Cowboys, Mike McCarthy’s offensive game plan appeared to just be feed all about feeding Lamb. In five games, Lamb posted 14 or more targets from Dak Prescott averaging an eye-popping 168.6 yards. The Cowboys went 4-1 in these games, and Lamb showed no signs as to why Dallas shouldn’t keep peppering him with record-setting target pacing.

With Tony Pollard out the door, plus the Cowboys not bringing in any veteran help for additional weapons, Lamb might see an even bigger workload arrive on his plate for 2024-25.

During this free agency cycle, we’ve seen low-end No. 1 wideouts in Michael Pittman Jr. and Calvin Ridley receiving contracts with average annual values exceeding $23 million. From that perspective, what could we envision for the record-setting contract Lamb is set to be up for? Is it a number that really scares Jones and this frugal front office?

Lamb is extension-eligible this offseason for the Cowboys, and it would be wise on their end not to make this a long drawn-out process. What works in Lamb’s favor, and vice versa is also seeing how the Minnesota Vikings handle Justin Jefferson’s contract. Lamb and Jefferson will both break the new wideout market financially, but which one will do so first? Whichever one the first one signs the dotted line for, the other will instantly want to top.

Lamb has been on-record saying he wants to be one of, if not the highest paid wideout in NFL history. The numbers back up Lamb’s request, as does the lack of spending from the Cowboys over the last few weeks.

At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Cowboys owner Jones spoke about the looming contract extension for Lamb. And there seemed to be a logical understanding ...

“Our goal is to extend CeeDee and plan to do that. And then the detail of that is not something we discuss publicly because just the way people do business with their own people’s business. But the point is that we do want to extend CeeDee.”

In short, Lamb wasn't going to be leaving Dallas anytime soon. And logically, that still stands - though Jones' comments, on the heels of his admission that the Dak Prescott contract stalemate is seemingly leaving both sides to play out 2024 with Dak becoming a free agent a year from now, might cloud all of that.

But again, logically on Lamb. ... The only question is how much will the dollar figures rise to throughout contract negotiations.

The evaluation of a Lamb mega contract appears to exceed $30 million per year. According to Spotrac, Lamb is projected to earn a four-year, $120 million extension from Dallas, $75 million of which guaranteed. Meanwhile, Jefferson is pegged slightly above Lamb with an AAV of $32 million and more guarantees.

Lamb and Jefferson have led the wideout boom of the new pass-happy modern NFL. Players in the mold of Lamb can be pseudo slot-machines pulling in nearly 200 targets annually while posting outrageous statistical figures. As the NFL’s rules also continue to lean more in favor of the offense, there’s no reason to believe why Lamb won’t put up even better numbers throughout his second deal in Dallas.

For the Cowboys, Lamb is obviously their most vital offensive element. He’s the backbone of their attack, and as shown consistently being a security blanket for Prescott when it matters most.

Dallas’ penny-pinching maneuvers may lead to immense frustration externally, but internally it’s been preparing for record-setting contracts for two generational talents at their position: Lamb and Micah Parsons. The first order of business has been in making No. 88 potentially the richest wideout in NFL history before training camp begins. ... unless Jerry Jones is now suddenly talking himself out of that.