Jerry Jones, CeeDee Lamb discuss upcoming contract extension amid record-breaking season
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is trailing the league’s leading receiver this season by just 66 yards heading into the final week of the season. The fourth-year wideout’s performance has set him up for a huge payday this offseason as his rookie deal runs out.
Lamb likely boosted his paycheck even further with his game against the Detroit Lions last week. He broke the Cowboys franchise records for receiving yards and receptions in a single season and he still has one game to go.
He accomplished the feat on the same night that he also posted the longest touchdown reception in the NFL this season and the second-longest in team history. He kicked off his 13-catch, 227-yard performance with a 92-yard touchdown catch.
The 227 yards gave Lamb 1,613 for the season. That allowed him to edge Irvin’s single-season record of 1,603. The record stood for 28 years before Lamb broke it. And that wasn’t the only Irvin record to fall. Lamb now has 122 receptions for the year. Irvin caught 111 in 1995.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones opened up about Lamb’s play during his interview on 105.3 The Fan on Friday.
“Well, let me say this, he is everything that I thought he would be,” Jones said. “And you guys know well enough that you don’t talk your business and negotiate in a public forum. But the point is he has certainly met the mark of everything that we thought he could be when we drafted… When CeeDee dropped down there to us it was a no-brainer to bring him on.
“And I think he’s just getting started.”
Lamb focused on postseason push
Asked about his impending contract negotiations, the former first-round draft pick told reporters that he’s not thinking about them at this point. Dallas has the opportunity to clinch the NFC East title on Sunday against the Commanders.
Though he told reporters he’d “ideally” like to become the NFL’s highest-paid receiver, he’ll start focusing on contract talks after a Super Bowl next month.
Lamb earned the third Pro Bowl selection of his career this week. Last season, he was a second-team All-Pro.
“I’m definitely one of the elite receivers in this game,” Lamb said of his Pro Bowl selection. ‘I work my tail off to be that and to say that confidently. Having that ability – it’s good to be elite, but how consistent and how long can you be elite? That’s the next challenge I’m looking forward to it.”