Not to spoil the fun, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb signed a four-year, $136 million contract on Monday afternoon, but the Cowboys haven’t done well with long-term deals at the position.

But Lamb is worth every penny of this contract.

He will receive a $38 million signing bonus, an NFL record for a wide receiver. Lamb and his agent, Tory Dandy, were true to their word when they told team executive vice president Stephen Jones that they did not have to become the highest-paid non-quarterbacks in league history.

The Vikings’ Justin Jefferson retains that title.

Lamb’s new contract comes with higher expectations that other receivers failed to live up to when given big contracts by the Cowboys.

Amari Cooper is the most recent example. He signed a five-year, $100 million contract with $40 million in guarantees in 2020. Cooper played one more season and was traded to Cleveland for a fifth-round pick and a sixth-round pick.

There were issues with Cooper off the field.

His refusal to get vaccinated before the 2020 season irked team owner Jerry Jones. It was a matter of commitment to do whatever it took to win games, and Cooper’s refusal of the vaccine went against that.

Cooper’s personality — quiet and thoughtful — didn’t fit what the Cowboys were used to in the first place.

Confident. Exuberant. Productive.

You know, like Michael Irvin. Terrell Owens. Drew Pearson. Dez Bryant.

Lamb’s emergence – he was drafted the year Cooper received a contract extension – also prompted the franchise to trade him.

You could argue that the trade for Cooper, in which the Cowboys gave up a first-round pick to the Raiders, was a failure. It’s hard to justify the trade and contract extension as a success, considering Cooper was sent packing in the first year of the new contract.

In Cleveland, Cooper was selected to the Pro Bowl last season and received a raise.

Cooper is not alone.

After three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, Dez Bryant was rightfully given a contract extension. He signed a five-year, $70 million contract in 2015.

He was 26 and in the prime of his life.

Bryant broke a bone in his foot in 2015, which limited him to just nine games, and from that point on, everything with his health and everything that went with it was gone.

He was cut by the Cowboys after the 2017 season, his lasting memory being speeding away from The Star on the Dallas North Tollway to get home. He tore his Achilles tendon in 2018 and didn’t return to play until the Ravens signed him in 2020. He was scheduled to play against the Cowboys that season but tested positive for the coronavirus before the game.

Bryant was out of the league at age 32.

In 2008, Terrell Owens signed a four-year, $34 million contract with $27 million paid over the first three years. Despite the narrative that he was a locker room struggler, Owens was a productive player. But after the Hall of Fame receiver signed the contract, the Cowboys let him go after the season ended.

Owens’ career ended shortly after playing seasons in Buffalo (2009) and Cincinnati (2010).

Of course, the biggest buyer-beware purchase at that position is Roy Williams. It’s one of the worst deals in franchise history.

In 2008, a few months after Owens extended his contract, the Cowboys gave the Lions four picks — a first, third, sixth and seventh — for Williams. And the Cowboys gave Williams a five-year, $45 million contract extension. He was 26.

In 40 games (29 starts), he caught 94 passes for 1,324 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Cowboys released him in the summer of 2011.

He signed with the Bears and by age 30 his career was over.

You could look at Lamb’s deal and praise it for what it is, something that elite players have earned. You could also be cautious based on what has happened in the past with other receivers who signed huge contract extensions.

Lamb produced at the perfect time last year with an NFL-leading 135 catches, 1,749 yards, 12 touchdowns and a 74% catch rate, all career-highs.

“I think the talent of No. 1 has been extremely evident ever since this young man stepped on the football field,” coach Mike McCarthy said in a conference call Monday. “You could see it at Oklahoma, and not only does he play every position on the offensive perimeter, but he’s an exceptional returner and he loves it.”

Lamb is everything the Cowboys need on offense, and his absence creates headaches for the offense.

He’s back, and that’s good.

Now he must abide by the contract, because others in his position have not done so.

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