CeeDee Lamb‘s contract situation with the Dallas Cowboys is giving plenty to talk about around the NFL, with the wideout and Jerry Jones involved in a tug-of-war about an extension. Recently, Bill Belichick has shared some eye-opening insight into negotiating new contracts in the league.
During an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show on Monday, the former New England Patriots head coach and de-facto general manager explained how tough it is for a franchise to deal with these kinds of situations. And since Belichick explained how he dealt with potential holdouts, Jones may take note of that to handle Lamb’s situation.
“The club’s options are limited,” Belichick said. “As a coach you just have to take the cards the way they’re played, try make the best of it. My position, we’re not gonna negotiate with you if you’re not here. Come here, work hard, we’ll talk to you. You try to find a way to compromise.“
Apart from Lamb, Jones is also dealing with Dak Prescott entering the 2024 NFL season on an expiring contract on the Cowboys. Belichick, however, believes it’s always best to wait until the final year to enter contract extension talks.
“When you start renegotiating with two years to go, you could have a 50-man parade coming in with two years to go who want to renegotiate. Our position was always do it the last year,” Belichick added.
Bill Belichick says QBs should set the example
“Every situation’s different, every team’s different. Each guy, each agent has their own strategy for what they think It’s best for them,” continued Belichick, who also stressed the importance of the quarterbacks leading the way.
The six-time Super Bowl champion mentioned Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady as two good examples of great quarterbacks putting the team first, pushing others to also prioritize working hard and winning over getting paid.
“When you start at the top with a guy like Mahomes or Brady who do everything to make sure there’s no issues with their contract, then that makes it a little bit easier with everybody else,” Belichick said. “And everybody else can respect the overall team concept and the team goals—not saying they wanna play for nothing, that’s not the point—, try to find some way to compromise to work it out. When Mahomes is out there working out hard, Brady is out there working, the other players want to be there too, so let’s say it’s a better solution when the quarterback’s not part of the problem.“