CeeDee Lamb rumors could make Dallas Cowboys offseason substantially messier

When Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said the team would be going all in for the 2024 campaign, fans anticipated an offseason of blockbuster trades and splashy signings. The excitement never came. Dallas lost one starter to retirement and allowed six starters to leave in free agency. Linebacker Eric Kendricks was their lone external free-agent signing, and the Cowboys even made star running back Derrick Henry feel rejected.

The most concerning part of Dallas' springtime nap is the team's inactivity with their "Big Three" players. Linebacker Micah Parsons is eligible for a contract extension this offseason, while quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb are entering the final years of their current deals.

Lamb, who is heading into the final year of his rookie contract, is not expected to attend the voluntary portion of the team's offseason program and could hold out into training camp, according to the Dallas Morning News. The Cowboys will start their voluntary spring workouts on Monday, April 15.

Cowboys feet-dragging on CeeDee Lamb's extension could cost them

The Cowboys had an opportunity to extend Lamb when he became extension-eligible last offseason, but Dallas opted to pick up his fifth-year option rather than sign the star wideout to a long-term deal. That contract extension will be exponentially more expensive after Lamb was named a first-team All-Pro in 2023. Lamb led the league with 135 receptions while posting 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns.

His production is hardly a surprise — Lamb has set a new career-high in receptions, yards, and touchdowns every year of his career. Jones may have kept his hands in his pockets during this free agency period, but he'll have to pull out the money eventually. The longer Dallas waits, the more Lamb's price will rise — especially with Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase primed to reset the wide receiver market.

Dallas had a chance to sign Bill Belichick this offseason, and perhaps they should have. The New England Patriots signed tight end Rob Gronkowski to a six-year, $54 contract extension just two years into his rookie contract. Belichick, who was notorious for his conservative spending, locked down the future Hall of Fame tight end for the entirety of his tenure with the team.

In comparison, the Cowboys have taken a head-scratching approach to roster management. They signed Michael Gallup and Terrence Steele after major injuries, overpaid Ezekiel Elliott and Jaylon Smith, and shot themselves in the foot by waiting too long to sign budding stars. They made the mistake of waiting too long to sign Prescott, which put him in position to hold them hostage with his massive salary cap hit this offseason. They already made the mistake of not extending Lamb last year, and now they're repeating that mistake by not signing Parsons in his first year of eligibility.

Then again, perhaps this is all a part of Jerry Jones' master plan: if the Cowboys are bad enough for Prescott, Lamb, and Parsons to have awful seasons, then Dallas can sign them all at a discount after all.