The Dallas Cowboys hit big time with two of their picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, adding wide receiver CeeDee Lamb in the first round and cornerback Trevon Diggs in the second round.
Both have played huge roles in Dallas’ return to relevance over the past couple seasons. That includes consecutive Pro Bowl honors for the two young stars.
Now that Lamb and Diggs have played three seasons in the NFL, they are eligible for contract extensions this offseason.
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones touched on the topic of potential extensions in an appearance on 105.3 The Fan recently. He made it clear that long-term deals could very well be in the cards later this offseason.
“As we move forward that’ll become a bigger priority here as we move past the draft. We’ve historically signed a lot of guys during that training camp period to extensions. But guys like CeeDee Lamb and Diggs are certainly on our radar in terms of guys that we’d love to have around here for another five, six years, whatever that turns out to be.”
Dallas Cowboys’ Stephen Jones on potential extensions
It makes perfect sense for Dallas to go in this direction, especially as it relates to Diggs. The star cornerback is slated to become a free agent next March. Extending him before then would allow Dallas to avoid placing the franchise tag on the former Alabama standout.
As for Lamb, he has a fifth-year player option for the 2024 season that the Cowboys will undoubtedly exercise.
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Looking at a potential CeeDee Lamb contract extension
Lamb, 24, is among the most-productive young receivers in the game. Since being selected 17th overall out of Oklahoma back in 2020, he’s averaging 87 receptions for 1,132 yards and seven touchdowns. Lamb is also coming off a breakout season for Dallas.
- CeeDee Lamb stats (2022): 107 receptions, 1,359 yards, 9 TD, 68.6% catch rate
Looking at the current wide receiver market around the NFL, Lamb should rank among the top-five highest-paid players at that position. That is to say, roughly $25 million per season. He’s obviously proven his worth as a go-to guy for Dak Prescott.
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Trevon Diggs contract situation a bit more unsettled
Back in 2021, Diggs recorded a whopping 11 interceptions while yielding a mere 55.8 QB rating when targeted. This past season saw him register three picks while giving up a 86.1 passer rating.
At issue here for Diggs is his gambling ways. The former Alabama star gave up a league-high 907 yards when targeted in 2021. While that number dropped to 673 in 2022, it was still among the five highest in the NFL.
Even then, Dallas values Diggs’ ball-hawking ways. It will end up paying him top-of-the-line money. As with Lamb, he’s looking at top-five money (roughly $20 million annually).
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Dallas Cowboys salary cap situation
Despite not being in a great financial situation heading into NFL free agency, Dallas was still able to add Pro Bowlers Stephon Gilmore and Brandin Cooks in trades with teams that were looking to cut costs.
Moving forward into 2024 and beyond, extending Lamb and Diggs makes sense. As of right now, the Cowboys are projected to have $26 million in cap room once the 2024 offseason gets going. Lamb’s team option comes in at $19.74 million, meaning that extending him would lower that in a big way.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys will have to spend big bucks to extend reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year finalist Micah Parsons next offseason. He’ll likely get $30-plus million annually depending on what Nick Bosa receives from the San Francisco 49ers in his looming extension later this offseason.
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