Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed enormous deals in 2024. It includes a 5-year, $140 million contract extension with OT Tristan Wirfs, a $84 million deal with DB Antoine Winfield Jr. for 4 years, a 3-year $100 million contract with QB Baker Mayfield, and a $52 million contract with WR Mike Evans for 2 years. All in all, a $400 million spending spree! Contrarily, the Dallas Cowboys didn’t open their wallet for QB Dak Prescott and WR CeeDee Lamb. Even after multiple talks, an extension couldn’t be finalized. Analysts are blaming Cowboys owner & GM Jerry Jones for this situation.

Craig Carton went all out against Jones on The Carton Show on August 1, 2024. While terming the Bucs’ tactic of re-signing their players a wise move, he questioned Cowboys management for not extending the contracts of their QB and WR. Calling out Jones for his antics, he added, “Explain to me if you’re a Dallas Cowboys fan. How could you accept from Jerry Jones that we can’t re-sign our guys? Cause they’ve re-signed nobody.” But he didn’t stop there.

Carton mentioned the Cowboys’ revenue and net worth are significantly more than Bucs, yet they didn’t sign the extensions. He added, “If the teams with significantly less revenue and worth less than you are, can re-sign their players. How do you sell your fan base that you can’t?” Reportedly, the fans might not watch their players play in preseason games. By all accounts, 2024 will not be easy for the team until they secure both the players.

Amidst the ongoing controversy, let’s explore what’s going on with both players.

Lamb and Prescott’s stance on Jones’ unwillingness to pay

The Cowboys’ QB is playing it cool. Despite off-season negotiations ending in a stalemate, he is with the team during the training camp. With no tensions about money, the 30-year-old is focused only on winning games for the team. And the team is counting on him to win games this season. However Cowboys analyst Tony Catalina had an interesting take on Sports Rush podcast. He claimed if the QB doesn’t sign extension in August preseason, he will be walking away in 2025 as a free agent.

However, the WR is making his reservations public. Lamb didn’t attend training camp and is avoiding all other team activities, too. Even with fines of more than $100,000, he isn’t budging. The absence of star WR could cost them dearly. According to Cowboys CEO Stephen Jones, the WR isn’t necessarily looking to break Justin Jefferson‘s record deal (4 year, $140 million) but he wants a deal near to that.

With the 2024 season almost a month away, Jones has to come up with something. Can America’s team unite and qualify for the playoffs? As of now, chances of that happening are slim.