Cowboys rumors: Dak Prescott's contract is tangled mess, CeeDee Lamb extension optimism, Zimmer strategy

Fans should be optimistic about CeeDee Lamb contract extension

The Cowboys have oh-so-many contract situations to figure out. But lucky for them, almost all of the contract situations are good problems to have. Sure, incoming extensions may tighten up the books a bit, but by and large the Cowboys are being pressured to make financial decisions that involve keeping the talent they rightly identified in the draft. This is the cost of being right.

Micah Parsons, CeeDee Lamb, and Dak Prescott are the biggest and most obvious names to be thinking about, but some have pointed to Zach Martin as a candidate for extension as well.

While some of the extensions may be less straightforward, expect the plan to keep Lamb -- the team's leading receiver in yardage and receptions in 2023 -- around to come to fruition rather smoothly.

Dan Graziano, NFL insider for ESPN, said as much in a recent column. He said to "expect" the Cowboys to get "something" done with Lamb (subscription required), noting that he missed out on the WR market explosion last offseason but put his money where his performance is in '23.

Lamb tied for first (with Myles Garrett) in the NFL in Approximate Value -- a metric from Pro Football Reference that attempts to quantify every player and their total impact on team success -- in 2023. He led the league in receptions (135) and came in second in receiving yards (1,749) and yards from scrimmage (1,862), coming in third in receiving touchdowns (12). He also ranked first in total long receptions (92).

There's financial reason to make the move, too, with Graziano pointing out that Lamb's cap hit is almost $18 million next year, a number the Cowboys could get lower if they offer him more years and money spread out.