Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones appeared to make disgruntled holdout wide receiver CeeDee Lamb even more so when, speaking to reporters after a joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams, said the team "doesn't have a sense of urgency" about the star wideout's contract extension.
Lamb, in a post onto his account on X, formerly Twitter, could only laugh.
But Jones, during an interview before the Cowboys' 13-12 loss to the Rams in their opening game of the preseason, seemed to walk back those comments, at one point speaking to Lamb directly, telling the star wide receiver that he's "missed."
Ahead of Cowboys-Rams preseason game, Jerry Jones says he “got in trouble the other day” for saying signing CeeDee Lamb isn’t urgent.
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) August 11, 2024
“I understand completely the angst that’s happening (about) whether you’re missed or not. Well, CeeDee: You’re missed.”
Jerry clarifies👇🏽 pic.twitter.com/84Ly8tL7o9
"Now I understand completely the angst that's happening when you're anxious about and someone says anything about whether you're missed or not," Jones said. "Well, CeeDee, you're missed, OK?
"But you're not missed out here competing and it doesn't put any pressure any place on us."
Jones, acknowledging his comments from a few days ago may have gotten him in "trouble," said that "no one appreciates" Lamb being on the field more than he does. But the Cowboys owner also made it clear that the All-Pro wideout wouldn't be playing in these preseason games anyway, which, in Jones's mind, lessens the urgency to get a deal done.
And Jones, holding his ground in true businessman fashion, told Lamb that his holdout doesn't "put any pressure" on Dallas's front office.
Lamb, 25, enjoyed a career year in 2023, as he led the NFL in receptions, 135, while recording 1,749 receiving yards, which set a new franchise single-season record, surpassing Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Irvin.
Unsurprisingly, Lamb, who is set to earn $17.9 million on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract in '24, is seeking a pay raise. The Cowboys wideout missed the club's voluntary offseason program, as well as its mandatory minicamp in June, and now, training camp and the first preseason game.
Lamb is on the hook for daily fines of $40,000 for missing training camp and could be fined just under $1 million for missing the first preseason contest.
Lamb has a chance to become the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. The Detroit Lions in April signed wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown to a four-year, $120 million contract extension and the Minnesota Vikings in June inked wideout Justin Jefferson to a four-year, $140 million deal.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jerry Jones Clarifies Comments on Urgency of CeeDee Lamb's Contract.
