Stephen A. Smith is a New York Times Bestselling Author, Executive Producer, host of ESPN's First Take, and co-host of NBA Countdown.
Now let's get to the Cowboys, specifically, where training camps have started and team leadership continues to preach patients when it comes to the contracts of their three biggest stars. Look at this full screen right here, y'all, whide receiver CD Lamb, quarterback Dak Prescott, linebacker Michaeh Parsers, as well as All Pro.
Lineman Zach Martin are all seeking new deals.
Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones reportedly gave Lamb a new all for on Friday, and Dak Prescott also got an offer within the last week. So Lamb got an offer, Dak Prescott got an offer, but not Michaeh Parsons. Hmm, I got that. I got a problem with that. Michael Parsons should be fade. I don't give a damn what anybody says they talk about. The quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys is the face. To me, Michael Parsons is the face.
Of the Cowboys.
I really believe that, because when you think about Michael Parsons, you know that man child gonna show up. I don't give a damn When you want to talk about his playoff's appearances, your Triple team stuff, happens. But when you talk about Dak Prescott, this is the reaction when you talk about you talking about Michael Parsons. Yeah yeah, you talking about Cde Lamb. Yeah yeah, that brother. Yeah yeah, you talking about Dak Prescott. H h.
H. I believe he gonna be eye. He gonna be aye. That's what you do. That's what you do everybody else. Yeah, let's go Dak. He mean nah, man ain't gonna let you talk about men. Dad liked me. He gonna be ay, he gonna be ay. That's what you do. There is a difference because you expect with the others ceedee.
Lamb is the truth. Brother deserves his bag. I just don't think he should be the priority because he could be impacted by Dak pennicin come playoff time. Can't impact Michael Parsons unless you double a triple team in them. This brother is a past rusher, extraordinariy, so you can't do that to him. So it's a little bit different. But here's the thing that has me laugh. It has me smiling. So what has going on in the offseason. We've seen the NBA negotiate a new deal. We've seen TNT be eased out in favor of Amazon and NBC with the new eleven year, seventy seven billion dollar television deal or rather or you know, league rights deal that Amazon, NBC and ABC ESPN has had with the NBA.
We've seen d NBA playoffs take place.
We've seen the Denver Nuggets get knocked off is reigning defending champions by the Minnesota timber Wolves. We've seen theent, the ascension, and the elevation of Anthony Edwards. We've seen the Boston Celtics be the best team from start to finish throughout the NBA season. We've seen Charles Barkley talking about.
He's gonna retire.
We've seen quarterbacks like Burrow and Tour and now Jordan Love get paid. Okay, along with Justin Herbert. We've seen all of this. Okay, we've seen all of it. We've seen the Yankees start off strong, they weaking Havoc and then in June, come June, they nose dive over the last month before winning you know, two or three from the Boston Red Sox this past weekend. We've seen a lot of stuff. We've seen Olympic competition. We've seen a whole bunch of stuff happen we ain't and we saw Justin Lawrence. I'm sorry, Trevor Lawrence get his back as well. We swallow that. What we haven't seen is the Dallas Cowboys make a significant offseason move. We didn't see them acquire Derrick Henry. They let him escape to Baltimore from Tennessee. And now we see that with three marquee dudes and arguably the three most important positions in the National Football League quarterback, wide receiver and pass rusher, they don't have one of them signed. They haven't done a deal with any of them. What the hell have you been doing? Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones?
I mean, I know y'all are my buddies and all.
We're supposed to get a drink together eventually, but what the hell have y'all been doing? You've been vacation in the europe Owl as Thompson, What the hell's going on? What the hell's taking you so long? Ladies and gentlemen, When people are sure they want you bad enough, it doesn't take long to make deals. It only takes long to make deals when there's trepidation about you, or they're more committed to getting.
Over on you than doing right by you.
Those are the only two scenarios. Those are the only two scenarios. Anything else doesn't suffice. Now, look at this Jerry Jones quote here.
Listen to this.
I do not think this will be Dak Prescott's last year with the Cowboys at all. I want to say it if it hasn't been clear of how much we appreciate what Dak Prescott has meant to this team in a positive way. The players do play better when he's out there. I'm right there in line with his best fan, believe it or not. In my life, I've had a lot of things in life that I wanted that I couldn't get because I couldn't afford it. Wow, So now it's a conversation about potentially not being able to afford Dak Prescott. Now, personally speaking, I don't have a problem with it. Dak Presley's got two player of victories in eight years. I don't have a problem with Jerry's position. But then say so and start with the bs. Dak Prescott can't be franchise tag. It's got the no trade clothes, can't trade him. Gonna sign them or lose them? Now, you don't want to lose Dak Prescott for nothing. So I do understand that kind of thinking. I get that part.
And so you got to handle business.
And if you want to tell me that, you got to keep them, and you all right, go to Dak Prescott and be like, yo, man, it's fifty five to fifty seven million. Look, bro, you want me two playoff games? Guilty has asked in the taken a little bit less. There's no way in hell that Dak Prescott should be getting paid over sixty million dollars a year. There's no way in hell that Dak Prescott should be costing CD Lamb on Micah Parson's money. I would have a hard time looking them in the face knowing how elite of a performer they are. If I don't, if I know that my salary is costing them their salary, I'd have a hard time.
It wouldn't be easy for me. I gotta tell you that. So I'm just here to tell you. If you're if you're Jerry Jones, I gotta try to guilt them out of some thouars. Bro, you ain't produced when it counts.
This is America's team. There's a lot of out. This is the land of opportunity. You getting paid your bag now, but there at least leave space for a few million dollars for us to take care of some of your teammates who were gonna need to help win when you can't step up in the postseason. I think that's the right and decent thing to do in terms of approaching them. And if I'm Dak Prescott, I consider I'm not taking less than No Trevor Lawrence. I'm not taking less than all of these other guys. I get that part. But I certainly don't need to slide in another four or five million dollars at the expense of money that I could be given the other teammates of mine who are deserving of it more than me.
That's how I feel about it. That's just how I feel about it.