From William Cook (@obiwill_kenobi):
William, yes, he will be. He’s not there now and that almost by definition makes his contract situation the most urgent of those facing the Dallas Cowboys during the early days of training camp.
The reality is Dallas made this bed for itself. There’s a reason why the Philadelphia Eagles (DeVonta Smith), Detroit Lions (Amon-Ra St. Brown), Miami Dolphins (Jaylen Waddle) and Houston Texans (Nico Collins) moved so aggressively to get their young receivers signed. They knew what was coming, and when the Justin Jefferson extension did come, the numbers should’ve surprised exactly no one. He had a right to ask to be the highest-paid nonquarterback in the NFL, and he earned that distinction by getting $1 million more per year than Nick Bosa did last summer.
The key word there? Last. Summer. The Bosa contract was out there then, at $34 million per year. That Jefferson landed $35 million per year was, well, predictable. And while Lamb hasn’t accomplished what his draft classmate has in Minnesota, he did amass 135 catches, 1,749 yards and a dozen touchdowns last year, putting him well within his rights at 25 years old to ask for something closer to Jefferson than Smith, St. Brown, Waddle or Collins.
Again, that’s the situation Dallas put itself in by waiting, same as the situation the Cowboys now find themselves in with Dak Prescott after Jared Goff and Trevor Lawrence got contracts averaging around $55 million per year. And what are the Cowboys going to do? Not sign Lamb, and leave Prescott and Mike McCarthy in the lurch in their own contract years.
No way. So, yeah, I think the Cowboys get this done, because they always wind up getting these things done. It just didn’t have to be this painful, or cost what it’ll wind up costing.
