Jerry Jones clears the air surrounding CeeDee Lamb urgency comments: 'You're missed'

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has clarified his comments about CeeDee Lamb from earlier in the week when he said he didn’t feel a “sense of urgency” to get a contract extension done with the star receiver.

Jones, speaking Sunday ahead of the Cowboys’ preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams, admitted he “got in trouble a little the other day” for saying a Lamb extension wasn’t urgent. Jones emphasized that Lamb, who is staging a training camp holdout, is missed.

Ahead of Cowboys-Rams preseason game, Jerry Jones says he “got in trouble the other day” for saying signing CeeDee Lamb isn’t urgent.

“I understand completely the angst that’s happening (about) whether you’re missed or not. Well, CeeDee: You’re missed.”

Jerry clarifies👇🏽 pic.twitter.com/84Ly8tL7o9

— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) August 11, 2024

“I think I got in trouble a little the other day when I said look, we’re not urgent about CeeDee,” Jones said, via Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports. “Well, no one appreciates CeeDee on the field any more than I do. But let me say this: He wouldn’t be taking a snap out here today if he had been here. You’ve gotta use your head when you expose key players. Now, that gives the other younger players a chance to do it. We know exactly what CeeDee can do. He worked out with Dak [Prescott] and so, we wouldn’t have him out here. That’s really not anything to do with his contract.

“Dak won’t be out here this afternoon and so the bottom line is no, there’s not that urgency. I understand completely the angst that’s happening when you are anxious about and someone says anything about whether you’re missed or not. Well, CeeDee: You’re missed. But you’re not missed out here competing and it doesn’t put any pressure any place on us.”

CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys working on long-term extension

Lamb, set to make $17.99 million this season on his fifth-year option, is seeking a lucrative long-term extension. In 2023, he hauled in a league-leading 135 receptions to go along with a career-high 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns. Other top wideouts across the league such as the Minnesota Vikings’ Justin Jefferson and the Detroit Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown have gotten paid this offseason. It’s clear Lamb wants next.

“I don’t know,” Jones said Thursday. “I don’t have a sense of urgency about getting it done. Put any reason you want. I was at Nobu two days ago. Give that as the reason. Whatever you want to put out there.”

Like Lamb, Prescott is in talks with the Cowboys about a long-term extension. And unlike Jones, Prescott is anxiously awaiting a deal to get done for Lamb.

“I can tell you I got a sense of urgency for it to happen,” Prescott said this week.