CeeDee & Amari Should Sign 'Pay the Man!' Contracts - Meaning What?
FRISCO - "Pay the Man!''
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb's contract holdout has the endorsement of many observers, likely including franchise legend Emmitt Smith.
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper's contract holdout has the endorsement of many observers, including Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay of the Eagles.
So there are similarities between CeeDee and Amari, once Dallas teammates. And one of those similarities is the audience response from their disputes with their teams, and the knee-jerk response being offered.
CeeDee & Amari Should Sign 'Pay the Man!' Contracts - Meaning What?
What did Emmitt say at the end of the season regarding the All-Pro Lamb?
"Just pay the man his money,'' Smith said in support of CeeDee's brilliance.
And what is Slay saying in support of Amari's fine work in Cleveland?
"I'm seeing right now that Cleveland don't want to pay him," Slay said. "They need to pay that man that money."
A common thread. And a common problem.
"Pay the Man ... how much''?!
Cooper, a six-time Pro Bowler, is 30 and has a bit of an injury-prone rep ... and he's due $20 million this year. Some negative stuff - see "Shrinkage'' - played into why Dallas gave him away two years ago in a trade to Cleveland.
But he is coming off of a fine 2023 campaign in which he contributed 72 receptions for 1,250 yards and five touchdowns. Most would agree that he's earned the five-year, $100 million extension that he signed back in 2020 when still a member of the Cowboys.
So "pay the man'' ... what? How much? What has Amari "earned'' going forward?
With Lamb, maybe there is more clarity as to the numbers. Minnesota's deal with Justin Jefferson just came in at $35 million APY; that sets a framework for Lamb in ways most would argue it does not quite do for Cooper.
But "framework'' is one thing. The other questions - guaranteed money, years, is Lamb the equal of Jefferson or a bit behind him, and is Lamb merited in asking for more because he's a "market-re-setting talent'' - are more blurry.
In the end, Lamb and Cooper are "teammates'' again, surely unified in agreement with the observations that their respective teams should "Pay the Man.''
But when we see this three-word phrase tossed out there, we need to acknowledge that it's being delivered as a cliche, not as analysis, by people who fail to realize ... the "Pay the Man'' devil is in the details.