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By Ricardo Sandoval
Contributing Sports Writer
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Dallas Cowboys All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb will not attend his team's organized team activities (OTAs). The team's OTAs began Tuesday, and the star wide receiver will continue to be a no-show at voluntary work as he is in the midst of a contract holdout.
Lamb wants more money, and he won't show up to team events until he gets it. In the meantime, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, Lamb's former college teammate, is doing his best to lure in the three-time Pro Bowler, or at least it appears so.
Murray shared a story, reliving the glory days when he and Lamb were teammates at the University of Oklahoma. Coincidence that Murray posts this now? I think not.
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The two offensive stars were both brilliant in their time at Norman. Murray went on to win the 2018 Heisman Trophy, accumulated 5,406 yards and 50 touchdowns in 17 games as a starter, and was the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. As for Lamb, he was a Consensus All-American in 2019, recording 2,393 yards, 173 receptions, and 32 touchdowns in 40 games.
Prior to the 2020 NFL Draft, Lamb's class, Murray expressed his desire for the Cardinals to draft Lamb with their No. 8 overall pick.
"Me and CeeDee have a great relationship," Murray said. "That's one of my boys. Obviously, I don't make the choices, but yeah, if we pick CeeDee, that would be great."
Lamb fell to No. 17 to the Cowboys. The Cardinals went with Isaiah Simmons at No. 8, and he is no longer on the team.
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Murray and Lamb were superstars in college and continue to be so at the pro level. Murray is sitting pretty in Arizona, with more money going into his bank account in 2025. Lamb's situation is the opposite. He is set to make $17.9 million this year on the fifth-year option and is eligible for the franchise tag in 2025; however, Lamb wants nothing to do with that and wants to be one of the top-paid receivers in the NFL now.
A lot will hinge on the Cowboys' front office and what they decide to do with Lamb. In the meantime he will hold out, but if recent history tells us anything, eventually, things will go Lamb's way. The most recent players to hold out were running back Ezekiel Elliott and right guard Zack Martin. Both held out into training camp in recent summers, and the Cowboys' brass eventually gave in prior to the season commencing.
The 25-year-old is looking to be the highest-paid receiver and reset the market, but so are other star receivers, such as Vikings superstar Justin Jefferson and Bengals superstar Ja'Marr Chase. All want to raise the payscale for others at their position.
At the moment, Dolphins star receiver Tyreek Hill is making $30 million a year, making him the highest-paid receiver in the NFL.
Lamb led the league in catches in 2023, with 135 for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns, earning All-Pro honors for the first time in his career.
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