The Cowboys WR has already secured career-high marks in receiving yards and touchdowns in the 2022-23 season. Will that earn him more money in his first contract extension?
As the 2022 NFL Playoffs linger, several players from the 2020 draft will become eligible for a contract extension in the coming months. For someone like CeeDee Lamb — a WR1 for a playoff-bound Dallas Cowboys team — he’s got to be thinking about the money he can make if the ‘Boys make a deep playoff run.
It’s a bit of a pickle for teams to rush to extend wideouts like Lamb, who has played with three different quarterbacks since entering the league. This past season, in particular, Lamb got off to a rocky start — and team owner Jerry Jones let the world know all about it.
“People are covering your best receiver. That happens,” Jones said after Week 1. “Every team in the league is faced with the same thing. They’re going to have their best receiver double-covered. What the best receiver should do is play through that coverage.”
It’s worth noting that Jones and the Cowboys gave up on former WR1 Amari Cooper this past summer — and he bounced back quite nicely despite playing in a toxic situation in Cleveland. Lamb became the No. 1 guy when Cooper left and he exploded in the second half of the season.
Let’s take a look at what Lamb might be able to get in a new extension, shall we?
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What is CeeDee Lamb’s 2023 Market Value?
Spotrac determines its own market value estimates based on a player’s age, contract status, and statistical production. It doesn’t take into account wins, awards, or playoff performance, but it’s a useful measuring stick when comparing other players’ contracts.
In Lamb’s case, he might become one of the richest WRs in the league at 23. But given Jones’ stinginess when it comes to receivers and his public plead for Odell Beckham Jr., can we be too sure that they’ll give him the early extension?
Projecting the size of a CeeDee Lamb’s contract extension
- By Spotrac’s estimates, a first CeeDee Lamb contract extension is pegged at four years and $85,598,288. That would rank No. 7 in terms of total value among WRs — one spot ahead of Mike Evans.
- His average annual salary is projected at $21,399,572, which would rank 10th among WRs — one spot ahead of DJ Moore.
Comparable WRs by Value
| PLAYER | YRS | TOTAL | AAV | AGE (SIGNED) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DJ Moore | 3 | $61.9M | $20.6M | 24 |
| Chris Godwin | 3 | $60M | $20M | 26 |
| AJ Brown | 4 | $100M | $25M | 24 |
| Terry McLaurin | 3 | $68.4M | $22.8M | 26 |
| Averages | 3.3 | $72.6M | $22.3M | 25 |
Comparable WRs by Stats
| PLAYER | REC/G | Y/G | TD/G | YAC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moore | 4.97 | 73.4 | .25 | 5.5 |
| Godwin | 6.27 | 74.7 | .46 | 5.2 |
| Brown | 4.9 | 72 | .59 | 5.1 |
| McLaurin | 5.13 | 67.8 | .28 | 5.1 |
| Average | 5.3 | 72 | .40 | 5.2 |
| Lamb | 5.04 | 69.08 | 0.38 | 5.2 |
To be clear, Lamb is simply eligible for an extension following the 2022 season. It doesn’t necessarily mean Dallas will fast-track the process. They could wait until his first free agency a year later, at which point the franchise tag will very much be on the table, kicking the can down the road one more year.
Will they hesitate? It wouldn’t be much of a surprise.
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