Should the Dallas Cowboys Consider Trading CeeDee Lamb?

CeeDee Lamb wants to get paid and the Dallas Cowboys haven’t opened their checkbook yet.

As both sides engage in a game of deception, rumors have begun to surface that a trade request could be coming from Lamb. While Clarence Hill, Jr. dismissed the idea that Lamb is trying to play hardball, he added another interesting nugget.

Hill said it would take more than $32 million to convince Lamb to sign on the dotted line.

His request makes sense, considering that Justin Jefferson signed a four-year, $140 million contract. Arguably, Jefferson can ask for more, but that’s not how negotiations work. As we’ve seen with quarterbacks, the latest contract is the new floor for the next player.

In this case, it seems more likely that the rather frugal Jones family will consider their options. But should they consider trading Lamb?

Trading Lamb only makes sense in one scenario: if the Cowboys see their championship window close. That’s a tough one to determine right now, which makes this the worst possible time for Lamb to be involved in a contract dispute.

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With Mike McCarthy and Dak Prescott each heading into the final year of their contracts, neither has security beyond 2024. That’s by design, as management has doubts about whether or not they’ll be able to get them over the hump.

If they knew they were keeping Prescott, they should do everything they could to keep Lamb. But if they were willing to rebuild, sending their star wideout to a team in contention for multiple draft picks would make sense.

In this scenario, they should do the same with Prescott. He would get multiple first-round picks, and Lamb would bring back a haul that would surely include at least one more pick on Day 1. For a rebuilding team, that kind of ammunition would be worth its weight in gold.

While a trade makes sense for a rebuilding team, there’s also a chance the Cowboys could turn to Trey Lance in 2025. Whether that makes sense or not is another discussion entirely, but if they were to go that route, it would be ridiculous to send Lamb elsewhere.

Extending Lance would be much more affordable than extending Prescott, but the only way they’re going to have success with him is by surrounding him with talent. That means making sure he has a receiver who can turn a five-yard pass into a 50-yard touchdown.

They would also have to extend Micah Parsons and get a legitimate running back, but a major hurdle would be cleared with Lamb signed long-term.

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In conclusion, the only reason it would make sense to trade Lamb would be if the Cowboys were willing to blow up and start from scratch. If they believe Prescott can take them to the Super Bowl, they need to make sure he has a No. 1 target. Conversely, if they believe Lance can be a starting quarterback, his life becomes easier with Lamb.

It all depends on what the future looks like in the minds of Jerry and Stephen Jones, which means there’s no telling how it will end.

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