Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb not present for mandatory minicamp as he seeks new contract

CeeDee Lamb‘s effort to get a new contract spilled into minicamp.

Ian Rapoport, NFL Network Insider, reported on Tuesday that sources have informed him Lamb has not been seen in Dallas for mandatory minicamp.

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy later confirmed that Lamb was not present for the start of minicamp. Star pass rusher Micah Parsons, who also is eligible for a contract extension, was at the facility on Tuesday for workouts, McCarthy told reporters.

Lamb previously had skipped voluntary workouts and will now avoid the only mandatory work during the offseason workout program. Missing mandatory minicamp subjects a player to fines, however, with Lamb playing under the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, fines for skipping offseason work can be waived, as we saw last year with Nick Bosa in San Francisco.

The 25-year-old receiver, Lamb, is looking for a contract extension that would match his pay with the growing receiver market. He has consistently achieved over 1,000 yards in three successive seasons, including a record 1,749 yards and a league-leading 135 catches in 2023.

Lamb is set to receive $17.991 million on the fifth-year option.

Justin Jefferson‘s four-year, $140 million extension this week provides Lamb and the Cowboys the framework for a potential extension. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones noted ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft that he wanted to “see more leaves fall” before dealing with extensions in his building. For the Lamb negotiations, the biggest leaf fell on Monday.

The Cowboys likely aren’t fretting about Lamb disrupting his production by missing three more days of June practice. The wideout has worked out independently and even gotten in some sessions with Dak Prescott away from the facility this offseason.

If negotiations continue towards a new agreement, the next significant marker will be the mid-July training camp. If Lamb keeps holding out and no deal is reached by that time, the tension may escalate, especially considering his crucial role in the offense.