Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb Watches As Justin Jefferson Trade Rumors Gain 'Steam'
FRISCO - Big-money contracts in the NFL are very much about chain reactions, as oftentimes each star player at his position (and his agent) wait out to see what each other star player gets before pouncing on what he hopes is an even larger number.
That scenario is playing out now as the Minnesota Vikings are working to decide on what to do with superstar receiver Justin Jefferson ... meaning another superstar receiver in Dallas Cowboys wideout CeeDee Lamb has his eyes - and his wallet - wide open.
There is a new wrinkle now, though, with rumors that Minnesota is considering a blockbuster trade offer for Jefferson to avoid paying him what might be a historic receiver contract extension. The phrase being used in Minny is apparently "growing steam.''
The number has long been discussed to be in the ballpark of $30 million APY - which is Tyreek Hill's APY in Miami, making him the NFL's best-paid wideout ever. And of course now the NFL cap has jumped up, to $255.4 million. And as we've pointed out, folks who think that the jump means teams can more easily pay their guys are missing the boat ...
Because the increase also means the players are going to ask for larger pieces of the pie.
Should the Vikings have been proactive on Jefferson, thus beating the cap news? That's a criticism being issued by PFT and others ... and the Cowboys have heard the same criticism when it comes to contracts for Dak Prescott and others.
But that criticism misses another boat: The agents knew the cap announcement was coming. Why would the agent sign a deal on Friday morning? Why not wait until the cap number is released on Friday afternoon?
Specifically to Lamb: He has stated, good-naturedly, that "the goal is always'' to be the highest-paid. To accomplish that? To "re-set the market,'' to use another popular catchphrase? Patience is sometimes required.
In other words, bringing back to Dallas: The Cowboys would've loved to save money and "be proactive'' on Dak's series of deals. One problem: He never said "yes'' to any of their "proactive'' offers.
Will Lamb eventually say "yes'' to Dallas? That's the plan; there is no "gaining steam'' about a problem there. Can the Vikings make a move that makes them a better team without paying Jefferson - and without employing him at all, instead gathering a treasure chest of picks?
We've always thought the idea was to draft a good young prospect and then if he develops into a great young player, to pay him to play. Dallas thinks that way on Lamb. We're about to find out if Minnesota thinks that way on Jefferson ... and we know CeeDee is watching, too.
