What Justin Jefferson's Extension Means For CeeDee Lamb
On June 3, Justin Jefferson danced his way to a massive contract extension with the Minnesota Vikings. Jefferson's extension with Minnesota is a four-year, 140 million contract with a whopping 110 million of it, being guaranteed.
By the numbers, this deal now pins Jefferson as the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. But fans can only congratulate Jefferson for so long as this deal now speeds up negotiations for other big-time wide receivers who have yet to be extended.
Who Is Next?
One wide receiver who has also proven worthy of a hefty extension is Dallas Cowboys star, Ceedee Lamb. After a great first four years with the navy blue star on his helmet, Lamb has shown stardom. A fan favorite, a focal point of the Dallas offense, and the NFL's leader in targets and receptions in 2023, Lamb is for certain one of the league's best.
Dallas owner Jerry Jones has been on the record claiming to be waiting "for the leaves to fall" before contract negotiations with the dynamic Lamb. Now with Jefferson being signed among others, Jones has no choice but to immediately start discussing the price needed to keep Lamb in Dallas for the near future. What Jones and company have in their favor is that they are not the only party with their backs against the wall.
Lamb Also Has Something To Lose
Lamb's team must understand that after June 4 (the first day of the mandatory minicamp), he will be fined for missing practice time. So the longer contract talks are dragged out, the more it hurts Lamb. Therefore this is a tough time for both parties.
With some of these athletes set to get a substantial raise, minicamp fines might be small potatoes to them. However, players who sit out for long periods of time instead of practicing with their team, run the risk of driving a wedge between themselves and their teammates.
If you want to compare Lamb's numbers to Minnesota's newly-extended star, you will see it is closer than you thought. With each player having played four seasons and earning the same number of All-Pro nods (three), the comparison can be on an even scale.
Jefferson's stat-line since 2020 reads:
392 catches, 5899 receiving years, 31 total touchdowns
Lamb's stat line since 2020 reads:
395 catches, 5145 receiving yards, 36 total touchdowns
You Must Pay To Play
Let's call it like it is. Lamb is nearly just as dominant of a football player as Jefferson and other top receivers in the league are. Lamb's versatility, reliability, quickness, growing route-tree, and ability to get yards after the catch, make him great. What do you have to do with a player of his caliber? You have to bend the purse strings. Like it or not, to keep a player like Lamb is going to be spendy. But as many know including Mr. Jones, you must pay to play.
The Dallas Cowboys as a team already have a lot of other things to worry about regarding going into 2024. This Lamb situation just magnifies it.