Cowboys pick fifth-year option for CeeDee Lamb

FRISCO, Texas – It’s no surprise, but the Cowboys just turned CeeDee Lamb’s four-year deal into a five-year deal with one quick move.

The Cowboys have picked Lamb’s fifth-year option, which is available to first-round picks. Lamb, who is coming off a career season in which he was a Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro, is expected to have $17.99 million in 2024, assuming the Cowboys don’t secure a long-term deal before then. This season, Lamb is expected to have just $4.45 million in salary cap, with a base salary of $2.52.

The NFL has its own formula for calculating fifth-year option numbers, depending on both a player’s position and his success during his first three seasons.

Lamb had 107 receptions in 2022, the third-most in Cowboys history. His 1,359 receiving yards and nine touchdown receptions were also career highs for him.

This option not only keeps Lamb in the mix for two more years, but also paves the way for a potential franchise tag for Trevon Diggs after next year. Diggs is entering the final year of his four-year contract.

This is the first time since 2016 (Ezekiel Elliott) that the Cowboys have used a fifth-year option on a player. The Cowboys did not have a first-round pick in 2019 (Amari Cooper trade) and the year before decided not to take the option of Leighton Vander Esch as the 2018 first-round pick. Taco Charlton, the 2017 first-round pick, it was no longer on the list after three seasons. Zeke’s option was applied, but he signed a long-term contract before the start of the 2019 season.

The last player to actually play a fifth-year option for the Cowboys was Byron Jones, who played for a base salary of $6.2 million in 2019, the last season he played in Dallas.