Three days before the Dallas Cowboys' preseason opener and a month before they kick off the regular season, owner Jerry Jones is in no hurry to work out a new deal with CeeDee Lamb.
As the Pro Bowl wide receiver remains a holdout in search of an extension, Jones held court and let his stance be known on Thursday.
"I don't have any urgency to get it done," Jones said.
As Jones' comments spread across social media, Lamb tweeted a response of, "."
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott also had a response, one contrary to his owner's take.
"I got urgency for it to happen," Prescott told reporters.
While Jones' lack-of-urgency comment garnered an overflow of attention, it did follow a somewhat optimistic outlook from Jones initially.
Asked if he could envision the regular-season opening and Lamb not being ready to go, Jones said he believes the parties were at the least headed in the right direction.
"Well, I don't know about that, but I know that we're getting great work [done], making real progress and I don't think [we're] losing a step where we are now," Jones said.
It was then that Jones was asked about a sense of urgency, to which he responded simply, "No."
When pressed to explain, he didn't clear up why but delivered the aforementioned "urgency" excerpt.
For Dallas, it seems puzzling that Jones would be in no hurry to end the drama and get one of the NFL's best wide receivers back with the team practicing and prepping for the 2024 season.
It's definitely a change in tone from Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones saying a new offer had been sent and conversations were good on July 27.
It's the latest in an offseason-long stalemate for Lamb and the team that selected him in the first round of the 2020 ąú˛úÍâÁ÷ÍřDraft.
The 25-year-old did not attend voluntary workouts or mandatory minicamp and has been a no-show at training camp, which makes him subject to daily fines. Lamb is set to play on the fifth-year option of his rookie deal, which means he can be fined $40,000 per day for each practice missed. He is due $17.9 million in 2024 on the option.
However, Lamb is on the heels of his third straight Pro Bowl campaign and also garnered his first All-Pro selection. His season included 135 receptions, which led the NFL, for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns -- each of those career bests.
Thus, in an offseason rife with wide receivers hauling in huge paydays, Lamb wants his day, as well.
Lamb isn't the only high-profile Cowboy due for a raise. He is one of three Dallas superstars in line for extensions, as Prescott is also headed into the final year of his current contract, and linebacker Micah Parsons certainly warrants a new deal that will be massive.
There's no telling how much of Jones' comments are posturing or not, but it would seem the Lamb holdout isn't ending anytime soon.
