Jerry Jones Hasn't Ruined CeeDee Lamb Contract Negotiations...Yet

Roundly ripped last week after saying he had no urgency to reach an agreement with All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and sign him to a long-term extension, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones changed his tune on Sunday prior to his team kicking off the preseason against the Los Angeles Rams.

Jones, who still serves as his team's general manager even though he is 81 years old, spoke during the Cowboys' pregame show and made a direct appeal to his star wideout. "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. Well, CeeDee, you're missed, OK?" he said.

Lamb, who responded to the original comments from Jones with an "LOL" on social media, is hoping to become one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL and probably has the four-year, $140 million deal that Justin Jeffersons signed with the Minnesota Vikings this offseason as a target.

While the Jefferson contract is probably a bit too lofty of a goal for Lamb, he is certainly looking at a massive payday one way or the other. According to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, that payday is still coming in Dallas, despite Jones's back-and-forth messaging.

"I can’t imagine the Dallas Cowboys not getting a deal done with CeeDee Lamb," Breer writes. "But Jerry Jones’s frustration with the situation has shown a bit this week. First, he said that there wasn’t any urgency to get a Lamb extension over the goal line. Then, on the team’s pregame show Sunday, he walked that back...All of this negotiation is hard enough for everyone involved without the background noise that seems to have engulfed it."

Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott is certainly keeping a close eye on what is happening with his top target because he is also on the market for a contract extension and has his own round of negotiations with Jones on the way. If those negotiations don't work out, some have speculated Prescott will be in New York playing for the Giants next season and that Bill Belichick will be his coach.

The Cowboys will open their 2024 season in Cleveland against the Browns and in all likelihood, both Lamb and Prescott will be on the field for Dallas in Week 1. Whether both players will start Week 1 of the 2025 season for the Cowboys remains to be seen. For better or worse, it's probably up to Jones.