Stephen A. Smith Banishes Ceedee Lamb’s Record-Breaking Demands, Backs Ja’Marr Chase to Match Justin Jefferson’s $140M Contract

CeeDee Lamb reportedly was waiting on Justin Jefferson to get a renewed extension so that he could name his price to Jerry Jones. Now that Jefferson has become the highest-paid receiver/non-QB, conversations surround the Cowboys WR to be next in line. Some think the Dallas Cowboys receiver does not deserve a similar paycheck. Stephen A. Smith had his thoughts on why CeeDee Lamb shouldn’t get a hefty extension to match his fellow receiver.

“A couple of things to get out of the way. Number one, CeeDee Lamb, you don’t deserve what Justin Jefferson is getting. Let’s get that out of the way right now,” said Stephen A. Smith. He further added, “You’re a bad brother, you deserve your bag, you deserve to get paid, but you do not deserve what Justin Jefferson got.”

Per the Minnesota Vikings receiver’s new deal, the team has given him a 4-year $140 million extension. What’s astonishing about the deal is that it has reset the wide receiver market and the caveat is that the 3x Pro Bowler will receive $110 million in guarantees. Even though Jefferson missed out on 7 games in the last season, he still had 1,074 yards and 5 touchdowns to show for it.

The deal has changed the dynamics of the NFL receivers market because now, players like Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase have a direction to pick. Chase, who has been missing out on OTAs is still under his 4-year $30.8 million deal with the Bengals which guarantees him the whole amount and also pays him $19.7 million in bonus.

“If you’re Ja’Marr Chase, you can make the legitimate argument that you did help Joe Burrow get to a Super Bowl. You can also make a legitimate argument that Tee Higgins might not be there so guess what, give me the bag,” added the broadcaster.

But coming back to CeeDee Lamb, he signed a 4-year $14.01 million deal when he entered the NFL and has been improving constantly. However, his shenanigans might make him lose a significant amount of money.

Is CeeDee Lamb due for an extended holdout?

Lamb missed out on the voluntary OTAs which was not a big deal, but now the Dallas Cowboys have started their mandatory minicamp and Lamb is still missing. Even Micah Parsons started showing up for the training amidst his contract demands being unfulfilled. If the Cowboys’ star wideout chooses to stay away from mandatory camp, he might miss out on nearly $100,000 give or take, at the Cowboys’ discretion.

Per Brandon Loree, an NFL Writer with Press Coverage, Lamb was spotted in California shooting an ad campaign for the NFL and it is focused on the league’s flag football initiative. The Cowboys Head Coach Mike McCarthy, who is also in his last year with the Dallas team, was asked about Lamb’s absence from the practice scenes. The HC seemed frustrated but didn’t fail to answer the pestering media, with a tinge of vagueness to his answer.

“Yeah, so CeeDee, in all those types of situations, he’s in a business situation, you know everybody’s engaged and I have no qualms or don’t lack no confidence as far as you know, our guy, out vets being ready,” said McCarthy.

In the last season, Lamb had 135 receptions over 1,749 yards and had 12 touchdowns. At this point fans are questioning Jerry Jones’ “all in” approach and what it would yield for players like Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons in the future. The aforementioned players are the Cowboys’ big 3, but as far as the receiver situation goes, the Cowboys don’t have one as prolific as Lamb. Hence, all eyes on contract discussion surround Lamb in a guaranteed manner.