Cowboys CeeDee Lamb’s holdout has cost him almost $4 million in fines.

Not many people had an Energizer bunny reference in mind when it came to CeeDee Lamb’s absence from the Cowboys, but it has kept going and going and going.  Dallas’ top receiver continues to hold out from the club, and with their final exhibition game of the season scheduled for Saturday, has completely missed out on every team activity since the club was eliminated from the playoffs in the wild-card round against Green Bay.

He had nine catches for 110 yards in that game, but hasn’t been with the club since they had their exit interviews. He didn’t report to the club’s voluntary OTAs, mandatory minicamps or super-mandatory training camp in an effort to get a new contract. Throughout the process Jerry Jones has attempted to put public pressure on him through media responses and though that has swayed some fans who align themselves with management over labor, Lamb continues to stand his ground.

Placed on the Reserved/Did Not Report list in early August, Lamb isn’t currently taking up space on the Cowboys’ roster. And because he’s missed events he’s under contract to attend, he’s been fined a ridiculous amount of money. As of Saturday that total will be just under $3.8 million.

Here’s how it got to be so much, so quick.

Lamb, and every NFL player, is subject to escalating fines per day of mandatory minicamp, and those totaled just over $101,000. Once training camp began, he is being fined $40,000 for each mandatory activity, which to this point is 10 practices, with Thursday’s scrimmage and Friday’s practice making it 12.

There had been some misreports that fifth-year option players, of which Lamb is one, are subject to the second-contract amounts of $50,000 per day, but that is not correct. There’s simply a section in the CBA dedicated to fifth-year players for all contract circumstances, and the fine amounts are outlined there, but are the same as all other players under the provisions of their rookie contracts.

This is detailed in 2020 CBA, Article 7, Section 7(h), which reads (important parts in bold):

(h) Breach.

(i) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in Article 42 or Article 4, after the Club has exercised its Fifth-Year Option for any player selected in the first 45 round of the 2016 or any subsequent Draft, any unexcused late reporting to or absence from preseason training camp by a player in the fifth League Year of his contract (the option year) shall subject the player to a fine of $40,000 per day for the…