Ranking NFL's Highest-Paid WRs After Cowboys Give CeeDee Lamb New Contract
CeeDee Lamb ended his lengthy holdout on Monday by agreeing to a four-year, $136 million contract extension with the Dallas Cowboys.
Although the deal didn't break the historic value that fellow wideout Justin Jefferson earned from the Minnesota Vikings earlier this summer, Lamb did set a record for his position with $36 million in guarantees.
By inking the deal, the three-time Pro Bowler became the second-highest paid receiver and non-QB in the league.
After announcing the signing, ESPN's Adam Schefter posted an updated list on X of the NFL's highest paid wideouts in terms of average annual value.
While Lamb may rank No. 2 in terms of pay, there's a real argument to be made that he's the best receiver in the league right now.
With that in mind, let's rank—with respect to recent production and projections for the upcoming 2024 NFL season—the five wideouts who are currently making $30 million or more per season.
No. 5: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions ($30.02M AAV)
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Amon-Ra St. Brown starts this list at No. 5, although that's hardly a knock on his talent. The Detroit Lions star has fared far better than expected after being drafted No. 112 overall in the 2021 draft.
The 24-year-old has not only vastly outperformed his middling fourth-round draft position but also great majority of the 16 wideouts selected ahead of him three years ago—a list that includes several Day 1 picks who have largely failed to pan out.
St. Brown even remembers each of those players' names and recites them before every practice, a motivational tool that has clearly been working.
On the heels of a career-best 2022 performance, the USC product became one of the first wideouts from that draft class to secure a blockbuster second contract. The 119-catch, 1,515-yard, 10-touchdown campaign earned him his second consecutive Pro Bowl nod and his first appearance on the All-Pro list.
Although St. Brown failed to earn any notable distinctions as a rookie, he still started his career hot with 90 receptions for 912 yards and five touchdowns. He's since improved upon his numbers each season while helping Detroit go from a perennial basement-dweller to a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
The best may be yet to come from St. Brown and the Lions, who are hoping to use consistency to build upon last year's NFC Championship Game appearance.
With resurgent quarterback Jared Goff also signing a four-year extension this offseason, the offense appears set for years to come and will look to guide Detroit to its first-ever Super Bowl this coming season.
No. 4: A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles ($32M AAV)
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A.J. Brown boasts a rare blend of size, athleticism and skill that has helped him become one of the NFL's best wideouts over the last few seasons.
While the 27-year-old was already an emerging star when the Tennessee Titans dealt him to the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2022 draft, he's gone on to raise his game to new heights with the club.
Brown has become a terror for opposing defenses in the City of Brotherly Love, earning back-to-back Pro Bowl nods and making a pair of second-team All-Pro appearances. Teaming with quarterback Jalen Hurts has been a major boon, as they have formed one of the most formidable batteries in football.
Across his two-year stint with the Eagles, Brown has amassed 2,952 yards and 18 touchdowns on 194 receptions in 34 games. Those are close to his three-season cumulative marks with the Titans, a stretch in which he tallied 2,995 yards and 24 scores on 185 receptions over 43 contests.
While an injury sidelined the Ole Miss product at the end of last season and cost him an appearance in his team's disappointing Wild Card Round defeat, he has yet to miss a regular-season game since joining the Eagles and is locked in as their WR1 heading into a pivotal 2024 campaign.
Expect Brown to get back to playing at a high level quickly, especially now that the Eagles have a dangerous WR3 for the first time during his tenure thanks to the trade for Jahan Dotson last week.
No. 3: Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins ($30M AAV)
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Tyreek Hill may be the oldest player on this list, but age hasn't slowed down the wideout nicknamed "Cheetah" one bit.
The Miami Dolphins superstar made a legitimate run at NFL history last year and is a good bet to challenge the single-season receiving record again in 2024.
Hill proved he could thrive in any system and with any quarterback targeting him after he made a successful transition from the Kansas City Chiefs—a franchise he spent his first six years in the league with and helped win Super Bowl LIV—to the Dolphins following a blockbuster trade in 2022.
While some expected the 30-year-old to regress without Patrick Mahomes, he instead responded by putting up 1,710 yards and seven touchdowns on 119 catches. Perhaps most impressively, he admitted he was coasting on his unparalleled athleticism and didn't truly understand the playbook during his first Miami campaign.
Despite appearing in one fewer game this past season, Hill clearly benefitted from a better grasp of the playbook when he matched his 2022 reception count while putting up a league- and career-high 1,799 yards and 13 scores.
Although he's now entering his age-30 season, he is likely to remain the NFL's most explosive receiver and simply won't be coverable at full strength. He's made the Pro Bowl in all eight of his prior campaigns and is close to a lock to make it nine in a row—as well record his third consecutive and sixth overall All-Pro nod—this coming year.
As long as Hill and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa both stay healthy, the wideout is a strong bet to break Calvin Johnson's record of 1,964 receiving yards and cement his legacy as one of the game's all-time greats.
No. 2: Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings ($35M AAV)
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Justin Jefferson established himself as the best receiver in the league entering the 2023 season, but an unfortunate injury cost him a chance to retain that title.
The 25-year-old has put up video game-like numbers since entering the NFL in 2020. His 88-catch, 1,400-yard, seven-touchdown rookie season was arguably the best the league has seen from a first-year wideout since Randy Moss debuted for the same Minnesota Vikings with a 69-catch, 1,313-yard, 17-touchdown showing in 1998.
Like Moss, Jefferson has only improved with age. His 2022 performance, one in which he led the league in both receptions (128) and receiving yards (1,809) earned him Offensive Player of the Year honors in addition to his third consecutive Pro Bowl nod.
Even last year, when the LSU product was sidelined for seven games with a hamstring ailment, he still managed to keep his streak of consecutive 1,000-yard seasons alive. He put up 1,074 yards and five scores on 68 catches—marks that most NFL pass-catchers only dream of across a full season—in the 10 games he was active for.
While Jefferson is back to full strength and aiming to be "injury-proof" this year, 2024 could be a challenge for the receiver. He'll be without quarterback Kirk Cousins for the first time in his professional career after the four-time Pro Bowler signed with the Atlanta Falcons and will need to establish a rapport with new starter Sam Darnold.
Although there's no chance Jefferson will be anything less than impressive due to his world-class skills and athleticism, Minnesota's offense could take a step back under the journeyman signal-caller and the receiver's stats could take a hit due to the downgrade under center.
No. 1: CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys ($34M AAV)
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CeeDee Lamb loudly stated his case to be considered the NFL's best receiver during his incredible 2023 campaign.
While the Dallas Cowboys star had already secured a spot in the upper echelon of his position prior to the breakout season, he took his game to the next level by recording a league-best 135 catches for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Lamb thrived as the main option in a high-flying Cowboys passing attack. Despite being consistently marked by the opposition's top corners, he still found a way to draw a ridiculous 181 targets and dropped just six passes on the entire season.
Last year marked the third consecutive season in which the Oklahoma product went over the 1,000-yard mark and earned Pro Bowl honors. Although he already has career marks of 5,145 yards and 32 touchdowns on 395 receptions, he is just now entering what may eventually be remembered as one of the most productive primes in NFL history.
There were fears that Lamb, who entered the storied Cowboys' record books as their all-time single-season leader in catches and yards last year, wouldn't suit up for some or all of the 2024 season after his contractual holdout lasted into late August.
The situation looked especially bleak after Lamb publicly posted an "lol" in response to a quote from Jerry Jones in which the owner stated he didn't have a "sense of urgency" to get a new deal done.
The Cowboys ultimately found a way to work out a tenable arrangement with less than two weeks to go before the season kicks off. Even with a lack of training camp reps under his belt, it would hardly be a shock if Lamb goes on to improve upon the absurd numbers he put up last year.
Considering Dallas parted ways with both Michael Gallup and Tony Pollard—two of the team's top five pass-catchers last year—the offense will need to lean on him for even more production than it has in the past.
If Lamb answers the call by improving on his 2023 production, he'll leave little doubts about his status as the NFL's top-ranked wideout.
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