CeeDee Lamb says he’s not going to talk about his contract. He doesn’t have to. As well as he’s played, he’s in line for a top-of-the-market extension.
Lamb comes off a monster season, and he actually got a lot better after a modest start. He caught only 27 passes for 358 yards in his first five games, with one touchdown. He averaged only 71 yards in those weeks.
But in Lamb’s final 13 games, he averaged a league-high 9 catches for a league-high 116 yards, and with 13 touchdowns. Those are some of the best numbers in NFL history.
Jerry Rice had two of the best receiving seasons in NFL history, including scoring 23 touchdowns in 12 games in the labor-affected 1987 season. But even Rice has never had a 12-game streak quite as productive as Lamb put together at the end of last season. (I mentioned 13 games earlier – that was including a playoff game).
Below see how Lamb compares to 1987 Rice and the top 10 receiver seasons in NFL history. But for each guy, I’m not showing the total, cumulative stats; I’m instead showing the final 12 games for each player.
Using PPR scoring, Lamb comes out in the top spot. Against these 10 great receivers, he ties for 3rd in touchdowns, ties for 2nd in catches, and ranks 3rd in receiving yards.
Entering the final season of his rookie contract, Lamb is eligible for a new deal. That creates financial difficulties for the Cowboys, with them also having Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons coming up. Unlikely, I’m thinking, that Lamb accepts anything other than a deal that puts him at the top of the league at his position.
| ELITE RECEIVERS, FINAL 12 GAMES | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Rush | PPR |
| 2023 | CeeDee Lamb, Dall. | 108 | 1,391 | 11 | 11-92-2 | 336.3 |
| 2021 | Cooper Kupp, LAR | 108 | 1,424 | 11 | 4-23-0 | 320.7 |
| 1995 | Isaac Bruce, St.L. | 101 | 1,493 | 11 | 3-18-0 | 320.1 |
| 1987 | Jerry Rice, S.F. | 65 | 1,078 | 22 | 8-51-1 | 315.9 |
| 2015 | Antonio Brown, Pitt. | 102 | 1,356 | 8 | 3-28-0 | 296.4 |
| 2002 | Marvin Harrison, Ind. | 111 | 1,289 | 8 | 2-10-0 | 290.9 |
| 2014 | Antonio Brown, Pitt. | 100 | 1,272 | 8 | 4-3-0 | 287.7 |
| 2003 | Randy Moss, Min. | 87 | 1,198 | 13 | 6-7-0 | 285.5 |
| 1995 | Jerry Rice, S.F. | 88 | 1,326 | 10 | 5-32-1 | 279.9 |
| 2023 | Tyreek Hill, Mia. | 91 | 1,329 | 9 | 6-1-0 | 278.0 |
| 2007 | Randy Moss, N.E. | 67 | 988 | 16 | 0-0-0 | 261.8 |
—Ian Allan