Malik Hooker: Cowboys priority should be paying CeeDee Lamb before Dak Prescott, Micah Parsons

There are a host of Cowboys who are in line for some hefty checks. But who should the team reward first? Dallas safety Malik Hooker says pay CeeDee Lamb before anyone else.

Lamb is the Cowboys’ record-breaking receiver who didn’t attend minicamp or OTAs because he wants bigger numbers sent to his bank account. And it’s definitely a good off season for receivers, since a handful of them already have reset the contract market. Dallas selected Lamb, the former Oklahoma star, in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, so it’s time for his second contract.

Quarterback Dak Prescott is beginning the final year on his contract with the Cowboys. The team can either sign him to a longer term deal this summer, maybe before training camp starts, or let him walk next March.

Then there’s Micah Parsons, the emphatic edge rusher. The Cowboys already picked up his fifth-year option. But they also may negotiate for a longer term deal. Dallas already reworked the contract for guard Zack Martin, but could do more.

Hooker says Lamb ‘is electrifying’ as a Cowboys receiver

Hooker says Lamb should be No. 1 in the contract room. He provided his viewpoint this week during an interview with Keyshawn Johnson.

“I feel like CeeDee should be paid first for the simple fact of what he does for us, how valuable he is for us [and] the leader he is for us as a team,” Hooker told Johnson. “You got to look at what’s going on around the league right now. All these big-time receivers are getting paid. In my mind, CeeDee — I’m not saying he’s better than these guys, but I feel like he has shown up in certain situations more than these guys have. … When he does get the ball thrown to him, it’s always a big play. It’s always something that’s electrifying for us as a team.”

Hooker is talking about the recent deals signed by the likes of Justin Jefferson, Amon-Ra St Brown, Jaylen Waddle and A.J. Brown. Jefferson now is the highest-paid receiver, earning $35 million a year. Earlier in the off season, Brown signed for an average of $32 million per season, with St. Brown getting $30.002 million). Before the negotiating season started, Tyreek Hill was the highest paid at $30 million.

Hooker then put some order to the rest of the Cowboys seeking new deals.

“I’d go CeeDee 1,” he said. “You can interchange Zack and Dak at 2 … Zack Martin gives a lot of those offensive guys confidence to go out there and be able to perform how they do — little do a lot of people know. … When Zack Martin it out there, it’s a different type of confidence. I know he’s gonna do a job.”

Parsons, the Cowboys first-round pick in 2021, still has a contract through 2025. Dallas picked up his fifth-year option, which kicks in in 2025. He’ll receive a guaranteed $21.32 million, unless the Cowboys give him a new contract before then.