As we wait for the Dallas Cowboys to sign one of the best players in football, the wide receiver market continues to grow.
Not only did Nico Collins of the Houston Texans sign a three-year, $72.75 million extension that includes $52 million guaranteed on Tuesday, but another deal happened Thursday that is making CeeDee Lamb more expensive.
Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle reached an agreement this morning on a 3-year, $84.75M contract extension that includes $76M guaranteed. That now makes him a top-five wide receiver in terms of guaranteed money.
He is the second-best wideout on their team. This is putting more pressure on the Dallas Cowboys to get a deal done with CeeDee Lamb.
The #Dolphins and star WR Jaylen Waddle have a new deal on a three-year, $84.75M contract extension that includes $76M guaranteed, sources say. Waddle is now one of the league’s top five highest-paid WRs.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 30, 2024
Market Won’t Stop
As Jerry Jones sits around and lets all these other players sign, it does nothing but make CeeDee Lamb more expensive. It is getting very frustrating at this point!
With Waddle signed, Ja’Marr Chase, Brandon Aiyuk, Tee Higgins, and Justin Jefferson wait just like Lamb does for a new contract.
If any of those players sign it is going to make the money the Cowboys have to give Lamb even higher.
I don’t understand why they are waiting to sign the second-best wide receiver in football.
Expect Lamb and Jefferson both to jump to the top of average annual value.
Other wide receivers eligible for deals this offseason include:
🏈Justin Jefferson
🏈CeeDee Lamb
🏈Ja’Marr Chase
🏈Brandon Aiyuk
🏈Tee Higgins https://t.co/xNgU1Lr0B7— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 30, 2024
The top five currently are AJ Brown at $32M, followed by Amon-Ra St. Brown with $30.02M, Tyreek Hill making $30M, and newly signed Waddle at $28.25M, and Davante Adams with $28M
The Cowboys are going to find themselves in a hole they don’t want to be in if they let Justin Jefferson sign before CeeDee Lamb.
At this point, I would work as hard as possible to get this deal done before any of the unsigned WRs get paid. This market is only going up.
Pay The Man
In 2023, the Cowboys made Lamb the focal point of the offense.
Lamb responded by making 135 catches for 1,749 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.
He averaged 13 yards per catch and 102.9 yards per game. Additionally, he was an effective receiver, averaging 2.8 yards per route run.
Dropped just six passes on 181 targets. He made it to his third Pro Bowl and his first All-Pro season.
He is making the 88 club proud. The Cowboys are playing with their food like they do with everything else. Letting all these other wide receivers who aren’t as good as him make all this money, driving his pinpoint even higher.
At this point, I am not worried about Micah Parsons and Dak Prescott.
Bills rookie WR Keon Coleman and Cowboys star WR CeeDee Lamb working on routes together 👀pic.twitter.com/1gQHMULWNV https://t.co/cDKNUvbPJW
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) May 28, 2024
Micah has two years left on his deal. It sounds like he is going to show up to OTAs this week. Prescott’s agent is working on his situation while he is in the building.
Those guys are there. This team needs Lamb in the building to work with them. I understand he is getting his work in outside of The Star. Just get this deal done.
You don’t find guys like Lamb just lying around. He proved last season he was a bonafide No. 1 wide receiver in this league.
Waddle is the second best wide receiver on his team and he got top 5 WR money. CeeDee Lamb is the second best guy in football behind Justin Jefferson. The pressure is only going to continue to get worse if Dallas waits around longer.
I am not sure who signs first. But Jerry Jones should be doing everything in his power to get his best offensive player signed so he doesn’t have to worry about it any longer.
Let’s hope by the end of June Lamb is signed and will be back in the building with Prescott, Cooks and the rest of the offensive guys.