Mac Engel: The scary details behind the record contract the Dallas Cowboys gave CeeDee Lamb

If CeeDee Lamb’s goal was to become the highest paid receiver in the NFL, his fellow receivers, tight ends and running backs were his “best friends.”

In the long, and needlessly drawn out negotiations between his agent and the Dallas Cowboys for a contract extension, Lamb’s teammates were his leverage. All he needed to do was point at that depth chart to illustrate out what the rest of the NFL knows.

He is it, and he knows it.

On Monday, the biggest non-story/story for the Cowboys came to its predictable conclusion when Lamb ended his holdout and agreed to a contract extension. According to NFL mouthpiece Ian Rapoport, Lamb agreed to a four-year extension worth $136 million. That deal includes $100 million in guarantees, and makes him the second-highest paid non-QB in NFL history.

Lamb, the 17th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, will join the team immediately and be eligible to play in Week 1 against the Browns in Cleveland on Sept. 8. His status to practice on Tuesday night in Frisco is TBD, but it would be a surprise if he does not.

Adjust your fantasy draft, and fantasy lineup, accordingly.

This prolonged game of expensive chicken between Lamb’s agent and the Cowboys was always destined to meet this finale.

Lamb was not possibly dumb enough to extend his holdout into the regular season, and forfeit the real money. The Cowboys, a team that can’t help themselves but to wait ‘til the last second thus guaranteeing they will pay the most, were not dumb enough to start the regular season without their best play maker.

Lamb may actually have been in a position to squeeze out a few more dollars from Jerry ‘n’ friends. Without CeeDee, the next best option for quarterback Dak Prescott to give the ball to is tight end Jake Ferguson. The rest of the team’s wide receivers are either too small, or unproven, to scare any defensive coordinator.

That Ezekiel Elliott is all but guaranteed a roster spot tells you everything you need to know about the state of the team’s running backs. He’s a solid veteran who is here for 3rd-and-1, and to pass block. If the front office doesn’t bring in another running back after teams reduce their rosters this week, it’s an insult to Prescott.

Ferguson is a nice, developing tight end. This may be a Pro Bowl player. He is also not going to command a double team. Receiver Brandin Cooks is solid, veteran. Again, no team will use two defenders on him.

Jalen Tolbert, KaVontae Turpin, Jalen Brooks and some other guys have done little in this league to be called reliable, trust-worthy weapons.

This is the state of the Cowboys’ skill position players: Lamb is the only player that will draw a double team.

“The talent has been extremely evident since he stepped on a football field. You could see that at Oklahoma,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said on Monday during a conference call with reporters. “He’s damn good at all of it. He can play outside, inside. He has the whole package. He’s as tough as they come. He’s a complete player.

“It was good to get this done. I think we are all relieved.”

At no point previously have the Cowboys ever asked more of Dak than they will this season. The closest was to start 2018, when they had released receiver Dez Bryant; they had a prime Zeke, but were so thin at receiver they sent a first round pick in the middle of the season to the Raiders in exchange for Amari Cooper.

All highly paid quarterbacks are expected, to a degree, turn tap water into Shiner Beer; for the Cowboys to win 10 to 12 games again will require Dak to flip Shiner into a crate of Dom Pérignon.

There may not be another team in the NFL that expects to make the playoffs with a less threatening, unproven cast of “play makers” more than the Cowboys. Without CeeDee, their “Triplets” are Dak, Jake Ferguson and Rico Dowdle.

Now that CeeDee has his “highest paid receiver” money, here come the expectations. The expectations are that he will out perform top receivers such as Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings, the Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase, Miami’s Tyreek Hill, and a few others.

Lamb is 25, and entering the prime years of what could be a potential Hall of Fame career. He got his money because he’s one of the best receivers in the game.

He got his money because without him the Cowboys have nothing.

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