The Dallas Cowboys' preparations for the 2024 season will begin without at least one key player.

According to multiple reports, superstar wideout CeeDee Lamb won't report to training camp on Wednesday as he seeks a lucrative long-term contract. Lamb and the Cowboys reportedly have discussed an extension but have been unable to find a middle ground to this point.

In all likelihood, Lamb is looking to match or exceed the record-setting four-year, $140 million extension that made Justin Jefferson the highest-paid non-quarterback (based on average salary) in NFL history.

Lamb, 25, was drafted in the same year as Jefferson (2020), is the same age and has offered similar production to the Minnesota Vikings' superstar to this point in their respective careers:

• Lamb: 395 catches for 5,145 yards and 32 touchdowns in 66 total games.
• Jefferson: 392 catches for 5,899 yards and 30 touchdowns in 60 total games.

The Cowboys may point out that Jefferson has amassed significantly more yardage more than Lamb in six fewer games, while the receptions and touchdown totals are nearly identical. Lamb will argue that he deserves to be paid like one of the elite receivers in the game and that Jefferson's contract reset that market, and his looming free agency provides him some leverage given that quarterback Dak Prescott is also entering the final year of his deal and is in the market for a massive extension.

The last thing the Cowboys want heading into next offseason is two star players who could hit the open market, with only the franchise tag to use on Lamb as a safety net. (Prescott has a no-tag clause in his current deal.)

And then there's Micah Parsons and his looming extension. His rookie deal ends after the 2025 season and he'll be seeking a contract that compares to Nick Bosa (five years, $170 million), which reset the market for both edge-rushers and non-quarterbacks.

In other words, the Cowboys could have three players all negotiating to be the highest paid players in the NFL at their respective positions, and in the case of Lamb and Parsons, the two highest-paid non-quarterbacks in the entire sport.

The 49ers could swing that type of deal with Bosa and maintain a championship-level roster, in part, because Brock Purdy is on a very cheap (by NFL standards) rookie contract. The Vikings could splash that cash for Jefferson, in part, because Sam Darnold is on a one-year, $10 million deal and J.J. McCarthy is on his rookie contract.

But the Cowboys may not be able to afford the trio of Prescott, Lamb and Parsons while maintaining a strong roster around them. And both Lamb and Prescott can use the other player's pending free agency as a form of leverage against the Cowboys.

Lamb will probably get his money before the start of the 2024 season. But the Cowboys are going to have to get very creative fitting similarly huge extensions for Prescott and Parsons under the cap in the years to come while maintaining a contending roster.