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FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys fans always cheer during the team’s first practice after returning home.
On Tuesday night, as player photos appeared on the giant screen at the Ford Center, the Cowboys’ indoor practice facility, the announcers introduced each player. But when Lamb’s name was called and his photo appeared on the screen, the Dallas fans in attendance cheered for a long time. It felt different, and for a reason.
Lamb began writing early Tuesday afternoon. Locked in his four-year, $136 million contract extensionwhich ended his absence from the Cowboys’ offseason program, where he missed all organized time activities, minicamp and training camp in Oxnard, Calif. He began to reflect on his time as a member of the Dallas Cowboys, processing the entire experience and expressing gratitude to be back home for football for the foreseeable future.
“I really can’t put it into words,” Lamb said after practice Tuesday night. “I told them I’m grateful for every moment I get to be here. This whole process has been crazy for me, as we all know. Very bittersweet. I’m enjoying it. Obviously, I’ve had enough time to get my body back together and get ready for the season. Of course, I wish I could have made it to (training) camp. But that’s OK. Everything’s going to be fine, but at this moment I’m just super excited. Appreciating every little bit of it. Thankful to my agent (Tori Dendy). Thankful for the opportunity. The back and forth, the phone calls we’ve had, and obviously thanking God every morning for the opportunity to get up and do what I do. Oh my god, it’s surreal. Loving it. We’re here.”
When Lamb returned to the Cowboys complex earlier in the day, he drew a similar reaction from the team’s employees as he did from fans Tuesday night: cheers.
“We heard a lot of cheering, turned around and he (Lamb) was saying things like ‘It’s good to be back,'” wide receiver Jaylen Tolbert said Tuesday night. “Everybody was like, ‘Hey, Seadee.’ We were all in this moment together after he got what he deserved. We know he worked hard for everything he got. So it’s special to see a guy like that.”
Although Dallas owner and general manager Jerry Jones said during the negotiations that he No sense of urgency By re-signing Lamb before the season began, Lamb never doubted that the negotiations would be resolved in a deal.
“I have no doubt about it,” Lamb said. “But I must say, I am getting a little impatient.”
The 25-year-old wanted so badly to reunite with his teammates and coaches and continue playing soccer together that at one point, as he drove through the surrounding area to grab a bite to eat, he seriously considered breaking his ice and heading back to the team facility.
“I look at it and obviously want to go in,” Lamb said. “But then I’ll go across the street and get something to eat.”
Lamb has been following the advice of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott throughout the process. Lamb said Prescott’s message to him was to “stay strong and be ready.”
His determination earned him an average annual salary of $34 million, $100 million guaranteed and a $38 million signing bonus, the highest amount ever for a wide receiver contract. Lamb is now tied with San Francisco 49ers All-Pro wide receiver Nick Bosa as the second-highest paid non-quarterback in the NFL, with an average annual salary of $34 million. Only fellow 2020 draftee and Minnesota Vikings All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who averages $35 million, makes more. Lamb had been training in the Texas and South Florida areas (specifically Fort Lauderdale and Davie) during the offseason, and while he was in the Sunshine State he was told the contract was finalized.
“My agent FaceTimed me. It was kind of crazy,” Lamb said. “He was like, ‘Yeah, man, this is going to get bad.'”
Lamb had been trying to stay with the Cowboys, but panicked until his agent told him the deal was done.
“I was like, ‘How can this get bad?'” Lamb said before his agent got serious. “‘Yeah, they’re only paying you $34 million a year.'”
This prompted an immediate response from Lamb, who immediately hopped on a plane back to Texas to close the deal.
“‘Okay, where do I sign?'” he told Dendy. “As soon as I hung up the phone, obviously I couldn’t say anything because I had to take it all in. It didn’t feel real. But the next two or three hours, to be honest, the whole time I was on the plane, I was like, ‘You’re coming home for a reason.'”
After returning to sign his contract, Lamb met face to face with Jones for the first time all offseason. At times, he responded to some of Jones’ public comments with a “hahaha” or an unclear emoji. The two ended negotiations and are back in step when it comes to the Cowboys’ football.
“Obviously, you have to separate your business love from … the joy that you grew up playing for,” Lamb said. “As for me, I try to send subliminal messages, like my love for the game never went away. The business side of it is its own side. But when I line up or step onto the field, I’m ready to work. It’s like I see both sides of it. It’s very eye-opening. I get it now. Of course, this is my first time going through this, for my first veteran contract. I’m ready for the next one.”
The two asked all team officials and others to clear the conference room so that the two could have a one-on-one conversation to get back on the same page.
“We had a conversation about being businessmen,” Lamb said. “Just need to clean up the room. Everything is in the past. I’m not worried about anything anymore. We’ve done what needed to be done. Now it’s time for me to go out there and play.”
Return to football
Although Lamb missed key practices and team meetings, apparently no one expected his role as Dallas’ top offensive target to change. Head coach and offensive play-caller Mike McCarthy said Lamb has been actively doing film study throughout the offseason..
“CeeDee’s role is not going to change,” McCarthy said during a conference call Monday. “He was our leading receiver last year. We’re going to treat him similarly to last year. I don’t think that’s going to change. … He’s staying on top of (offseason offensive adjustments) with his iPad and stuff. It’s going to be great to have him out there in practice.”
“Obviously, just the wording has changed and they’ve made some adjustments,” Lamb said of what he’s trying to keep up with. “I have my iPad on the whole time. We go check the times, and I’m pretty sure I’m one of the top (practice film watchers).”
Despite not being at training camp in person, Lamb made sure to stay connected with his teammates, something that the players who were there really appreciated. Part of those messages were about fulfilling his leadership responsibilities, but part of it was because Lamb was working on overcoming his fear of missing out.
“He’s been so engaged,” Tolbert said. “Sometimes I’ll wake up in the morning and he’ll text me, like, ‘Good morning, man, have a good day.’ Or, he’ll tell me what’s going on on the field. To have a guy like that still engaged, watching film, trying to help, working on his own, we know he hasn’t missed a step. So we’re looking forward to getting back with him and getting to work.”
“I can’t put a number on that,” Lamb said when asked how often he texts teammates while he’s been away from playing. “I’m not even going to lie to you, I just ask a lot of questions, ‘How are we feeling?’ Like, ‘What are we thinking?’ Like, ‘What’s going on?’ Y’all know when I come back, I’m going to be full of energy, so obviously not with my mouth, but with my game.”
Now, the focus is on getting Lamb ready to play in less than two weeks for the Cowboys’ season opener against the Browns in Cleveland. For him, he said getting back into football shape is just about “getting banged up a little bit. Not getting banged up too much, but getting shoved up a little bit.”
“Obviously, I’m working on it myself. Sure, I can prepare myself, but just like timing, you can’t teach it. You can’t teach it,” Lamb said. “The only thing you can do is repeat it, and obviously, you have to see it to believe it, the pathways and the obstacles and the byways to get open and score.”
To his teammates, Lamb looks like the guy who broke the Cowboys’ single-season records for receptions (135) and receiving yards (1,749) last season. He missed Tuesday night’s practice because of his waning form, but Lamb is still expected to play in Week 1.
“He looked as awesome as ever,” Tolbert said of Lamb during Tuesday night’s practice. “His nature and his aura are unique. We’re glad to have him back out there. He stressed it out today when we were a little short on receivers. He said, ‘Man, I’m sorry I can’t get out there with you guys.’ We all know it came from the heart. He’s a great guy, a competitor. We can’t stress that enough. We’re looking forward to getting back out there with him and getting practice underway.”
Lamb said he put on 15 pounds of muscle in the offseason, something he plans to do whenever his contract is signed to better prepare for a bigger accomplishment in 2024. “I have body armor on me,” Lamb said. “I can take a few more hits. I’m ready for my opportunity.”
And those opportunities came in part because during Lamb’s absence, he visited Prescott and did some work on the quarterback “Dak Field” at Prosper’s home. “We definitely got our reps,” Lamb said. “The best thing is, he has a field in his backyard. So every time I came home (from a Florida workout), it was time to throw with Prescott.”
In Lamb’s view, Jones should also do for him what he did for Prescott: re-sign the Cowboys quarterback to eliminate the uncertainty of whether he can play the final year of his contract through 2024. Dallas and Prescott have been in contract negotiations throughout the offseason, but the two sides must reach an agreement quickly because the Cowboys cannot put a franchise tag on him in the 2025 offseason, preventing him from entering the free market.
“You look at our numbers, they’re at the top of the list,” Lamb said. “I have no doubt they’re going to make a deal. We all know I want Dak to be here. Jerry wants Dak to be here, so let’s take control of this, eliminate the guesswork and go get a win.”
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