Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb officially returned to practice with the team following his holdout and quickly called on the franchise to re-sign quarterback Dak Prescott on a long-term extension.
Lamb recently re-signed with the Cowboys on a four-year contract worth $135 million, which made him the second highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL behind Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
While discussing the process of negotiating with the team, which involved Lamb sitting out of the Cowboys’ workout for multiple months, Lamb was asked whether or not Dallas should make Prescott a priority before the regular season.
Lamb pointed to the performances he and Prescott have put together during their time with the Cowboys and said that they are one of the best duos in the NFL when healthy, adding that the franchise should make sure to finish a deal to ensure that they stay together.
“You look at our numbers together, they’re at top of the charts,” he said, according to CBS News.
“I have no doubt that they’re going to get a deal done. We all know I want Dak here. Jerry wants Dak here, too. Let’s just get this under control, kill the speculations,” he said.
Both Lamb and Prescott had the best running of their careers during the 2023 season, leading the Cowboys to a 12-5 record and first place in the NFC East division before losing in the wild-card round of the playoffs to the Green Bay Packers.
Lamb accumulated 1,749 receiving yards on a league-high 135 receptions, while Prescott threw for 4,516 yards and paced the NFL with 36 touchdown passes.
Prescott is entering the final year of a four-year contract worth $160 million that he signed with the Cowboys in 2021 and could play his final season with America’s Team if another extension is not agreed upon.
The three-time Pro-Bowler spoke about the potential of him playing the 2024 season without stability in his contract and said that it “doesn’t really matter” to him, noting that the lack of movement on the deal “says a lot” about what is happening behind the scenes, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Prescott further explained that everyone on the team should “embrace” the uncertainty heading into the season and view it as a challenge.
“We, as the players and the coaches, don’t have the full say in whether we’re here or not. It’s about us controlling what we can. It’s about sticking together. … Yeah, it’s now,” he said, according to The Athletic’s Jon Machota.
Regardless of whether the franchise comes to an agreement with Prescott before the 2024 season, the Cowboys will officially begin playing regular season games in just over one week.
Dallas will travel to Cleveland to take on the Browns in the first week of the season on September 18 at 3:25 p.m. CT before playing two straight home games against the New Orleans Saints and Baltimore Ravens.
