National Football League

Malik Hooker says CeeDee Lamb should be paid before Dak Prescott, Micah Parsons

Published Jun. 28, 2024 6:51 p.m. ET

Dallas Cowboys safety Malik Hooker sat down with Keyshawn Johnson on the latest edition of "All Facts No Breaks" to discuss the upcoming NFL season, and to share his thoughts on the team's culture and what to expect this fall.

Hooker even revealed who he thinks the team should prioritize paying before the start of training camp on July 23 when the Cowboys head out to Oxnard, California. Between quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, linebacker Micah Parsons and guard Zack Martin, the former Ohio State standout said that All-Pro wideout Lamb should be first on Dallas' list.

"I feel like CeeDee should be paid first for the simple fact of what he does for us, how valuable he is for us [and] the leader he is for us as a team," Hooker said. "You got to look at what's going on around the league right now. All these big-time receivers are getting paid. In my mind, CeeDee — I'm not saying he's better than these guys, but I feel like he has shown up in certain situations more than these guys have. … When he does get the ball thrown to him, it's always a big play. It's always something that's electrifying for us as a team.

"I'd go CeeDee [at No.] 1. … You can interchange Zack and Dak at [No.] 2 … Zack Martin gives a lot of those offensive guys confidence to go out there and be able to perform how they do — little do a lot of people know. … When Zack Martin it out there, it's a different type of confidence. I know he's gonna do a job."

A three-time Pro Bowler and reigning NFL receptions leader, Lamb finished the 2023-24 regular season with the second-most receiving yards (1,749) and the third-most receiving touchdowns (12). He was also one of just three pass-catchers to average more than 100 yards per game, finishing with the third-best mark (102.9). That said, Lamb also finished the season tied for the most turnovers with a league-high three fumbles (two for a loss).

The 25-year-old Lamb, who's due $17.9 million on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, wasn't present for mandatory minicamp earlier this month as he seeks a new deal after his third consecutive 1,000-plus yard season.

Martin, a former first-round pick by Dallas in 2014, played in 15 games (all starts) this past season, allowing just 4.0 sacks in 908 offensive snaps. His efforts earned him Pro Bowl honors for the ninth time in 10 years and his seventh All-Pro nod. Last summer, Dallas gave Martin an $8.5 million raise in 2023 and 2024 after he held out for a portion of training camp, going from $27.5 million to $36 million guaranteed to make him the third-highest-paid guard in the NFL. The Cowboys have since reworked Martin's contract, doing so earlier this year to open up salary cap space.

Prescott started all 17 games last season, leading the Cowboys to a 12-5 record and a spot in the wild-card round of the playoffs. He finished with career highs in completion percentage (69.5%) and touchdowns (36). Prescott is in the final year of a four-year, $160 million deal he signed in 2021.

"Micah still has a lot to prove," Hooker added. "He has done a great job his first couple of years in the league. Don't get me wrong, he's a fantastic player, [but] I feel like Micah still has a surface that he [doesn't] even know that he can scratch as far as what he's doing. I would say Micah's last, just for that reason."

Parsons started every game for Dallas last season and finished with career highs in sacks (14.0) and QB hits (33) to go along with a career-low 64 tackles (36 solo).

Skip Bayless agreed with Hooker's opinion that Parsons should be the last to get paid among that list of players, saying that the 24-year-old has "started to disappear" because "he's not the most physical player" on Friday's "Undisputed."

"He has not been able to sustain very good starts to the last two seasons because he has tailed way off down the stretch of the last two seasons," Bayless said. "In four playoff games, he has one total sack, and it came in a blowout. … That's all you got. … I kinda like the constructive criticism (from Hooker). … Maybe he felt like it's time to call Micah out a little bit."

Johnson said that he found Hooker's comments about Parsons surprising because they play on the same side of the ball.

"I was surprised, though, because typically, as a player, you don't really get into other people's financial mess unless [you're] endorsing them to get paid," he said. "I was a little shocked, although he did acknowledge the fact that Micah doesn't even understand where he could potentially be. So by that, maybe he meant to say, ‘Don’t do it now. Let's wait and completely back the Brink's truck up when you go this year. There's no need to rush into it.'"

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