One of football’s best receivers remains away from organized team activities.
According to the The Dallas Morning News, Cowboys superstar CeeDee Lamb will not attend the team’s training camp unless he’s paid what he feels he deserves.
The Cowboys are set to report to the team’s training camp facility in Oxnard, Calif. on July 24.
The 25-year-old also did not attend Dallas’ mandatory minicamp, being fined over $100,000 as a result.
Last year, Lamb proved to be one of the most unguardable players in the NFL.
The Oklahoma product’s 135 catches were the most in the league, while his 1,749 yards were second and his 12 touchdowns third.
Lamb has done nothing but produce at a high clip since being taken with the No. 17 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Since Lamb entered the league, his 5,145 yards and 395 catches each rank fifth.
Lamb has also been sure-handed despite a high target share.
According to Pro Football Focus, he had the third-lowest drop rate among players to garner 150 or more targets last season.
He’s set to play this season, his fifth, on a team-option of his rookie contract worth $17.991 million.
The NFL receiver market has skyrocketed in recent years, but especially so this offseason.
The Vikings’ Justin Jefferson became the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history when he was bestowed a four-year, $140 million deal on June 3.
Before that, the Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown and the Eagles’ A.J. Brown also eclipsed at least $30 million in average annual value this offseason, joining the Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill as receivers to be in that exclusive company.
Given Dallas’ lethargy in extending Lamb, the price has now augmented, likely leaving owner Jerry Jones to pay the star at least $32 million per year — which would tie or exceed Brown for second at the position.
The Cowboys are also mired in an ongoing extension quagmire surrounding quarterback Dak Prescott, who enters 2024 as an impending free agent.
Under the guidance of the elite quarterback-receiver tandem, Dallas finished second in expected points added per play and ended with the highest-scoring offense in football.
Despite offensive explosiveness and a stout defense, the No. 1-seed Cowboys shockingly fell to the No. 7-seed Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Round.
The 2024 season will likely be a make-or-break one in Dallas, with head coach Mike McCarthy’s seat even warmer after regularly underachieving during the postseason — and likely with Prescott and/or Lamb slated to depart at the year’s end.
