Jerry Jones not worried about CeeDee Lamb holdout: ‘I’m used to this’

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones doesn’t seem too worried about wide receiver CeeDee Lamb missing training camp. During his press conference on Thursday, Jones said he won’t get “bent out of shape” about Lamb not attending camp for a new contract.

“I don’t flare when it’s happening to us. I’m aware that we want to get these guys to camp. Business as usual . . . I’m used to this, I can live with this,” Jones said, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk.

Jones is not wrong about being used to holdouts/contract negotiations. Lamb’s holdout is going on at the same time that quarterback Dak Prescott and linebacker Micah Parsons are looking for new contracts. Last year, offensive lineman Zack Martin was a camp holdout until the Cowboys reworked his contract.

ESPN analysts recently ripped Jones for not signing his star players. “I think that it raises questions about how Dallas is negotiating with these players,” Tim Hasselbeck said on GetUp. “It makes you wonder. There is an absolute roadmap to what the top wide receiver should be paid. It’s a little puzzling. I think it’s fair to say that Jerry Jones is this great business man but how are they negotiating with these players.”

“The Cowboys act like they’re the only ones in this position,” Kimberly A. Martin said on the same show. “Hi, welcome to being an NFL GM and Exec. If you draft well and you want to keep the core players, you have to pay all of them. This is not a problem that’s unique to Dallas. The Bills got criticized for paying Josh Allen when they did, but they were happy because the number was only going up.”

Dak Prescott weighs in on CeeDee Lamb’s holdout

The Cowboys selected Lamb No. 17 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. After a strong rookie season where he caught 74 passes for 935 yards and five touchdowns, Lamb has made the Pro Bowl the last three seasons and was named to the All-Pro First Team last season after recording 135 receptions for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns.

In May Prescott spoke to reporters about not having Lamb at OTAs due to his contract situation. “That’s my guy,” Prescott said. “Not many more people out there, more swaggier, cooler, better player, than that guy. So obviously you’re gonna miss him, miss having him around. But I’ve been in this situation, it’s business, business is business.”

On3’s Nikki Chavanelle contributed to this story.