Reports suggest again that CeeDee Lamb could be first major Dallas Cowboys extension to happen

It seems CeeDee Lamb could be the first of the major would-be extensions to happen for the Dallas Cowboys.

We are in the final days of May and on the precipice of both the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars reaching the championship round of their respective sports. Given that the Texas Rangers won the World Series last fall, that would leave the Dallas Cowboys as the only one of the major four sports teams in the metroplex to not duel for a trophy.

A lot of things seem to separate the Cowboys from the collective pack these days and one of them is how they are approaching their offseason in general. The Cowboys chose to spend free agency mostly as a wallflower which is par for the course and not really surprising, but they have been similarly slow to get extensions done for their major players as well over the last few months and in the process have drawn a ton of skepticism.

June is the final month of the year without any sort of real NFL activity and it therefore offers the most idle-y of idle hands. Will that time bring us an extension for one of Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and/or Micah Parsons?

Perhaps. But odds are escalating on who the first one could be.

It appears that CeeDee Lamb has the strongest likelihood of getting an extension from the Cowboys first among the major three

Back in the early days of the new league year reports emerged that the Cowboys had a priority when it came to their extension candidates. It was reported to be CeeDee Lamb.

Even if you are someone that wants to see the team extend all three players involved here, there is a strong argument that Lamb is the extension that should carry the most urgency given the state of the market (in terms of deals that could happen to escalate the price) at each respective position.

• Quarterback: This offseason has already had the Detroit Lions pay Jared Goff, and while that may (likely did) raise the floor at the quarterback position, the risks of anyone else significantly elevating it are small (again, relative to the other positions involved). The Jacksonville Jaguars could still do so with Trevor Lawrence and the Miami Dolphins are also a threat with Tua Tagovailoa, but for the most part the waters here are more stable.
• Wide Receiver: If there were a big one it is here. Jerry Jones effectively challenged the wideout market in the lead-up to the NFL draft (more on that in a moment) and basically saw it immediately blow up in his face with the Lions paying Amon-Ra St. Brown and the Philadelphia Eagles extending A.J. Brown. The likes of Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson are also still out there (as are Brandon Aiyuk and Jaylen Waddle), so the sooner the Cowboys can get in the clubhouse with a posted score the better given that conditions are likely to worsen.
• Edge Rusher: Ultimately this isn’t so much about the market as much as it is the grains left in the hourglass. Dallas has the most amount of team control left over Micah Parsons but beyond that the notable pass rushers in the league all have been paid in recent history.

On Wednesday, ESPN’s Todd Archer was included in an overall discussion about various players across the league who are in need of new deals. Obviously these three were included on behalf of the Cowboys.

Here is what Archer had to say about each one.

Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys

Latest on negotiations: Team owner Jerry Jones might have been delighted to hear Prescott say during OTAs that he doesn’t “play for money,” but he knows the final price on an agreement will be significant, perhaps higher than the $55 million annually Joe Burrow makes as the league’s highest-paid quarterback.

To date, there haven’t been meaningful talks between the sides. While the Cowboys have been criticized for waiting to get a deal done, Prescott has shown patience. It worked for the signal-caller in 2021, when he signed his four-year, $160 million deal, and it could work again. Getting something done before the season starts would be preferable for the Cowboys, but the final deadline is early March.

Without a deal before the 2025 league year, Prescott will count $40.5 million against the cap and likely be headed to a new team, following the path Kirk Cousins went through this offseason. — Todd Archer

…

CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys

Latest on negotiations: During the draft, Jones said he “wanted to see some more leaves fall” when it came to some of the contracts the Cowboys would like to complete. Shortly thereafter, Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown and Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown signed deals averaging $30 million and $32 million, respectively. While those might be trumped-up figures with funny math, there is little doubt Lamb’s contract will be in or above that neighborhood.

If more leaves fall, such as a Justin Jefferson deal with Minnesota, then the price for Lamb could go even higher. Of the Cowboys’ big three deals for Prescott, Lamb and Micah Parsons, the talks with Lamb could begin in earnest soon, with an eye on getting finalized in training camp. He has skipped the offseason program for the first time and worked on his own, but Lamb has gotten in multiple throwing sessions with Prescott. — Archer

…

Micah Parsons, EDGE/LB, Dallas Cowboys

Latest on negotiations: Of the Cowboys’ big three, Parsons’ deal is likeliest to be on the back burner. It’s not that the Cowboys don’t want to sign him to a long-term contract right now, but they have him locked up through 2025 on the fifth-year option and will have the franchise tag available to use in 2026, if necessary.

Parsons’ absence from most of the offseason program has not been a contract ploy but rather his desire to train on his own.

Whenever the two sides come to an agreement, look for Parsons to be the highest paid defensive player in the NFL, topping pass-rusher Bosa’s $34 million annual salary with the Niners. — Archer

This doesn’t explicitly say that Lamb will be the first of the three to get paid by the Cowboys but it does seem to point arrows in that direction. Given everything involved that makes the most sense, especially if the team can beat the Minnesota Vikings, Cincinnati Bengals, San Francisco 49ers and/or Miami Dolphins and their respective wide receivers.

But each player involved carries their own level of importance. Whether or not you or I or anyone wants to extend any or all of the players, there are arguments to be made both for and against. Ultimately if there is one disposition that we can all agree upon it is that waiting generally leads to the price rising. So even if the Cowboys get a deal done with Lamb a year from now they could be facing a larger number with Parsons.

It takes two to tango and that is fair to say with regards to negotiations. But the timelines involved here were all known and able to be anticipated with caution and measure. There is still some time left, but the Cowboys are running out of it on some level