Dallas Cowboys‘ problems are not looking to end soon. The franchise didn’t finalize the contract with WR CeeDee Lamb. GM Jerry Jones has a habit of waiting till the last moment to sign deals. The WR is not happy with the situation. And he is making it known to everyone by avoiding team events. But what led to this?

In April 2024, the team’s GM termed Lamb as ‘one of the best’ and praised his 2023 performance. Indeed, it was noteworthy as the WR made a franchise record with 135 receptions and 1,749 receiving yards. Both parties started talking early in the off-season but couldn’t find a common ground. Thus, Lamb is forced to play on the franchise tag in 2024. While Jones claimed they were unable to decide the right price, different theories are coming up about the delay.

NFL analyst Greg Cosell hinted at the reason why the deal is getting delayed. Speaking on the Ross Tucker Football Podcast, he revealed that the NFL executives do not view Lamb as the top 5 WR in the league. According to Cosell, most NFL officials rated Justin Jefferson, Davante Adams, Ja’Marr Chase, AJ Brown, and Tyreek Hill as the best 5 WRs. It’s known that Lamb wants a deal like Jefferson, who signed a four-year contract worth $140 million with the Minnesota Vikings. Is Cosell implying the WR is not worth that much amount?

Irrespective of what happened in discussions, the team will suffer if the WR is not playing happily for them. Head Coach Mike McCarthy revealed that the WR was engaged with the team during the off-season. Yet he skipped OTAs and the mandatory minicamp in June 2024. Refusing to budge after being fined more than $100,000, he is expected to miss the training camp starting on July 25.

Such developments will harm the team, that is already struggling with tensions surrounding Dak Prescott‘s contract. The question is: How will McCarthy keep the locker room morale high? Afterall, it seems like Jerry Jones is not willing to open up his wallet yet!

Jerry Jones repeating the CeeDee Lamb situation with Prescott!

The QB will become a free agent after this season. Due to Jones’ delay tactics, off-season talks with Prescott’s manager couldn’t materialize. In April 2024, Jones indicated the QB was of utmost importance to them. Yet he continued in his style of passive negotiations and didn’t sign a final agreement. The situation with Prescott was similar to CeeDee Lamb, as Jones praised the WR but didn’t sign the final deal. And the WR is letting his disappointment known. However, Prescott is handling things differently. Not worried about his future with Cowboys, he is present with his teammates during the training camp. But the situation has evoked mixed reactions from analysts.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Cowboys will extend the QB’s deal. They are hiding it from the public. On the other hand, staunch Cowboys fan, Skip Bayless, attacked Jones for spoiling the team’s atmosphere. Speaking on The Skip Bayless Show, he claimed the GM engineered this situation as he wants his team, especially the QB, to fail in the 2024 season.

It’s hard to believe that a GM wants his team to underperform, yet such things certainly affect team bonding. With this much going on, can the team focus on their gameplay and have a long run this season? Only time will tell!