CeeDee Lamb (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)
CeeDee Lamb is a happy man for many reasons.
The Dallas Cowboys star wide receiver is just two weeks removed from signing a four-year, $136 million contract that cements himself financially for the rest of his life. The deal came after a long negotiating process between both Lamb and the Cowboys that saw things get chippy with team owner Jerry Jones saying he didn't have any urgency in getting a deal done with Lamb.
With his contract now in place – Lamb will earn a $38 million signing bonus, the largest ever for a wide receiver – the 25-year-old receiver wants to make it clear he wants to end his career in Dallas.
"There's no doubt.," says Lamb in an interview with RG when asked if he wants to end his career with the Cowboys. "Wherever I ended up getting drafted, I had a plan that's where I wanted to be for the rest of my career. I know I don't want to go anywhere else. Dallas has been so phenomenal for me, my life, my family and obviously financially, it's changed my life. I'm definitely going to pay my dues to the city and give it what we all want."
Lamb – who is all smiles for this interview on behalf of his years-long partnership with BodyArmor – is coming off of a team-leading performance in the Cowboys' Week 1 win over the Cleveland Browns. Despite missing training camp due to his contract holdout, Lamb posted five receptions for 61 receiving yards.
He has more reasons than one to be happy outside of his contract and partnership due to his quarterback, Dak Prescott, also shattering records with his latest contract signing. After his own long negotiating process with Cowboys management, Prescott agreed to a four-year, $240 million contract extension that makes him the NFL's first $60 million per year player.
"He got paid a couple hours before kickoff, so we're all headed to the bus and once I saw that, I went down to go catch the bus. Once I saw Dak, I went the bus and he happened to be there. The first thing that I said was to 'Pay that man.' Gave him a big hug, very excited for him, very happy for him and I'm glad to have him for the next five years of my career – selfishly – and just continue to grow.
"We have a lot of things that we want to accomplish together and passionately about this game that we love the most. I know that we can get it done and bring it to the city. We're going to continue to work and then to know that we have each other for the near future, it's something I'm looking forward to."
Both Lamb and Prescott will obviously look to get the Cowboys over the hump as they seek their first conference championship appearance and Super Bowl since the 1995 season. Although the Cowboys have been one of the most consistent teams in recent years – they've won at least 12 consecutive games for three straight seasons – they have won just one playoff game.
While Lamb is a highly-accomplished receiver – he's coming off of a 135-catch, 1,749-yard season that shattered franchise records – he's not done getting better. Outside of the clear objective of winning a Super Bowl, he makes it clear that he still wants to be a "better" teammate and leader, along with looking to "shatter" some records.
And while things were a little tense during the negotiation process, Lamb says Jones has given him great advice financially after becoming the second-highest paid wide receiver in the NFL.
"He said, 'You don't have to be smart to make money, but you have to be smart to keep it – if not make more.' That was one of the things that really stuck to me," says Lamb. "You can make a lot of money by accident, but then you can lose it on purpose."
Lamb and the Cowboys will look to continue their winning ways when they host the New Orleans Saints in Week 2.
DJ Siddiqi
