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Cowboys owner Jerry Jones still optimistic about new deal with CeeDee Lamb amid holdout: ‘We’ll come together’
Lamb is still holding out from Cowboys training camp as he hunts for a new deal with the franchise
CeeDee Lamb’s training camp holdout continues, but Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday that the two sides have had more “promising talks” about his new contract extension with the franchise.
And, perhaps more importantly, Jones didn’t say anything that erupted on social media and sent Lamb reacting publicly.
Jones, speaking at training camp in Southern California on Tuesday, said he was optimistic that Lamb would have a new deal in time for Dallas’ season opener against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 8.
“I think I am [optimistic] and when I say that, it doesn’t sound too promising,” Jones said, via ESPN’s Todd Archer. “The facts are that I believe we’ll come together. I don’t want to speak for him. That’s not what I’m trying to do. But we wouldn’t have offered him what we’ve offered him if we didn’t want him to be here.”
Lamb has yet to participate in training camp with the Cowboys as he hunts for a new long-term deal with the organization. He is entering the final year of his rookie deal on a $17.9 million fifth-year option. While it’s unclear what numbers Lamb and the Cowboys are working on in their negotiations, Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson reset the market with a four-year, $140 million extension earlier this summer.
Lamb racked up 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns on 135 catches last season, all of which were career highs for the former Oklahoma star. He helped lead the Cowboys to the playoffs for a third straight season, though they were knocked out in the wild-card round.
Jones’ comments came a few weeks after he initially said that there wasn’t a sense of urgency to get Lamb’s deal done, which led to Lamb scrubbing “America’s Team” from his bio on social media and posting a very brief message in response.
— CeeDee Lamb (@_CeeDeeThree) August 8, 2024
Jones tried to clear that up a few days later, and admitted that his comments got him “in trouble.”
“I understand completely the angst that’s happening [about] whether you’re missed or not,” Jones said. “Well, CeeDee: You’re missed.”
As far as when that deal gets done, though, Jones didn’t have anything to offer. Talks between the two camps will continue as the Cowboys prepare for their final preseason game this weekend and then their season opener in less than two weeks.
“I don’t mean that to be insensitive to our fans or to CeeDee, but we’re in good shape there and we are having promising talks,” Jones said Tuesday. “You say, ‘Well, why do you keep talking? Why don’t you do something?’ Again, as in anything, it takes both of you there at the same time.
“But I believe it’s got the proper amount of everything — emphasis, importance — for everybody involved here and we’ll see how it goes.”
