Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb's hefty fifth-year option figure revealed
As the league new year approaches, NFL teams are currently in the midst of working through their plans for personnel going into 2023 and beyond. Luckily for the Dallas Cowboys front office, they don’t have to include wide receiver CeeDee Lamb among their large group of free agents this offseason. However, they still have a big decision to make on the 2020 first-rounder.
After three years with Dallas, Lamb has a fifth-year option on his contract waiting for the Cowboys to pick up. Thanks to his performance so far, the former Oklahoma Sooners star is one of several 2020 first-rounders who qualify for the highest level of benefits for their fifth year.
Having made his second Pro Bowl in 2022, Lamb’s fifth-year option salary figure is $19,743,000 in 2024, according to numbers acquired by Albert Breer. A wide receiver going into his fourth year with two Pro Bowl bids has the third-most expensive fifth-year option.
A quarterback would receive $32,416,00, while a linebacker would get $20,926,000. Defensive ends with two Pro Bowls get only slightly less at $19,727,000.
The difference between a 2020 first-round wide receiver with two Pro Bowls, like Lamb, and one who does not meet any other benefit criteria (i.e. playing time), is roughly $7 million.
On top of adding the qualifying levels for the fifth-year option, the CBA in 2020 also made the salaries fully guaranteed, regardless of injury or skill.
Lamb makes a likely fifth-year option pick up for Dallas
The average number of players who have their fifth-year option picked up has hovered around 19 over the past nine years. It’s very likely that the Cowboys pick up Lamb’s. He led the team in receiving in 2021 and 2022 and his targets went up from 120 to 156 after the departure of Amari Cooper.
Lamb posted 1,359 yards during the regular season with nine touchdowns. He also added 14 receptions for 185 yards and another score during the postseason. His best game of the year came in one of the Cowboys’ losses, an 11-catch, 150-yard, and two-touchdown performance in the overtime game versus Green Bay.
If he gets the fifth-year option figure of $19.7 million in 2024, he’ll break into the top 20 for highest-paid wideouts in the league.