Cowboys Rumors: CeeDee Lamb Not on Team Flight to Camp Amid Contract Holdout Buzz

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb was not on the team's charter flight to Southern California for training camp on Tuesday amid his current contract dispute with the team, per David Moore of the Dallas Morning News.

Lamb ended last year with 135 catches for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns, the best season of his four-year career. He is entering the final season of his rookie contract.

Naturally, he's looking for a well-deserved long-term deal that hasn't come to fruition yet. Moore provided more information on the matter.

"Lamb will also be missing from the flight. Club officials don't anticipate he'll join the team until an extension is reached. It's difficult to put a timetable on when the impasse will be resolved. Lamb wasn't part of the Cowboys offseason program. The receiver's absence, along with a bleeding of veteran talent in free agency, fed into the frustration and anger that seemed to fester in the Cowboys fan base after a stunning playoff defeat to Green Bay."

The news comes a few days after word emerged the Cowboys are making Lamb's contract extension their "No. 1 priority," even over discussions with impending free agent quarterback Dak Prescott.

"The Dallas Cowboys are reportedly prioritizing wide receiver CeeDee Lamb's contract extension over quarterback Dak Prescott's new deal," the Dallas Morning News' Calvin Watkins reported.

"The good news is the Cowboys made Lamb their No. 1 priority. According to a person with knowledge of the front office's thinking, the Cowboys are putting Lamb's contract extension talks ahead of quarterback Dak Prescott's."

But as of now, Lamb and the Cowboys don't appear to be on the same page.

There's no denying Lamb's incredible value to the offense. He had 1,101 more receiving yards than the next closest Cowboys pass-catcher, tight end Jake Ferguson. Dallas' problem is that it has three superstar players whose contracts are expiring in Prescott and Lamb in 2024 and linebacker Micah Parsons in 2025. All of them are going to get paid, but the question is whether Dallas will be able to keep all three.

Compounding the problem is the fact that Dallas is coming off an excruciatingly painful 48-32 upset loss to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wild Card Round. The Cowboys just had a quiet offseason and haven't appeared to improve much on paper, and now they are just fighting to keep the status quo.

But obviously, losing Lamb would be disastrous to Dallas. Obviously, it doesn't appear that he'll be around for the beginning of training camp, but there's still time before the Sept. 8 season opener to get something done.