Cowboys Executive Makes False Claim about Vikings
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is causing the organization and its fans a little bit of heartburn, holding out of training camp as he awaits an elephantine new contract.
Cowboys Executive Makes False Claim about Vikings
Lamb is in the same boat as Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson two months ago, wanting a long-term deal before the final year of his rookie contract. He is expected to top Jefferson’s deal, perhaps by just a whisker.
And according to Cowboys COO Stephen Jones, the son of owner Jerry Jones, the Vikings were able to meet Jefferson’s monetary demands because they don’t pay anybody on their roster.
“You look at a guy like Jefferson, they’re not paying a quarterback, they’re not paying anybody on their roster at this point,” Jones said Thursday.
In all likelihood, Jones meant to say only, “They don’t have an expensive quarterback to pay” because Minnesota employs several handsomely-paid veterans. Every team does.
Jones added, “So it’s a lot easier for them to stretch a little more. We’re just trying to work through, reasonably, with CeeDee, reasonably with Dak, what we can do to make it work from an economic standpoint. When you’re trying to pay three guys like that, it certainly does limit your opportunities to maybe improve the roster down the line.”
For six years, Minnesota showcased Kirk Cousins at quarterback, so fans know exactly what Jones is talking about — it’s tricky to manipulate the salary cap when one person hogs a large percentage. It’s just that Jones’ claim was a vast exaggeration. The following players earn these annual salaries per contract value:
- Jonathan Greenard (OLB) = $19 million
- Brian O’Neill (RT) = $18.5 million
- T.J. Hockenson (TE) = $16.5 million
And that’s on top of Jefferson’s extension, which will pay him $35 million each year, and Christian Darrisaw’s new money that will pay him $26 million per season when it kicks in after the 2025 season.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys are in a Cousins-ish situation with quarterback Dak Prescott.
They want to secure a long-term deal but could also let Prescott play out the final year in 2024 — much like Cousins in Minnesota last year. It’s unclear if Dallas has a binary choice between Prescott and Lamb or if it will attempt to thread the needle by signing both.
All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons will be due for an extension at this time next year, and guess what? He will utterly break the bank, further complicating the current “Prescott or Lamb” matter.
Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s second contract won’t begin, if applicable, until 2029.
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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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