Emmitt Smith dazzled fans of the Dallas Cowboys for 13 seasons (1990-2002). He's the NFL's all-time leader in rushing yards (18,355) and rushing touchdowns (164). Also, he has three Super Bowl rings, A Super Bowl MVP, a league MVP, and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
That's a resume any athlete would be proud of, and with that comes tremendous respect, when Smith talks all ears are at attention. Smith recently sat down with the SB Nation NFL Show to discuss several topics, and Dak Prescott's contract situation was one of them. When asked what were his thoughts on why Prescott isn't signed, the Cowboys legend came to this conclusion.
“The only answer I can give is the Cowboys are uncertain whether or not he's the future of the Cowboys,” Smith said. “Outside of that, if he was the complete future of the Dallas Cowboys, they would make no bones about giving him a contract.
“I mean at the end of the day, Tony Romo, they was committed to Romo right off the rip. Right off the rip. And he came in and replaced Drew Bledsoe. And I mean, he's not the biggest guy. He's not the most flashiest guy and he's not the fastest guy either. And he had his challenges. But there was a commitment to Tony Romo. There is not a commitment to Dak Prescott.”
If what Smith said is true it would be quite the head-scratcher. Before Prescott's season-ending ankle injury in October he was off to the best start of his career. In just five games, Prescott led the league with 1,856 passing yards. This was after throwing for a near franchise-record 4,902 yards and 30 touchdowns in 2019. He was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2016. Also, he went nearly yard for yard and point for point in a playoff loss to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers that same season, and beat Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks in the 2018 playoffs.
Prescott had 69 consecutive starts before his injury. He's widely recognized as the Cowboys leader in the locker room and has been a model citizen off the field. Not to mention, he only made around $4 million over his first four seasons before earning $31.4 million in 2020 due to the franchise tag.
The Cowboys and Prescott are entering their third round of negotiations on a deal that should've been done a long time ago. It was almost complete last summer when the Cowboys offered Prescott a five-year, $175 million dollar deal with over $100 million is guaranteed dollars, but Prescott wanted a four-year commitment so that he could cash in again when the new tv revenue kicks in.
Smith also mentioned that the constant stalling on Prescott's contract will affect the entire team if it continues.
“And the Cowboys are leaving it open to everybody like us to question. To pick holes at it. And I don't know if it's because they want to stay relevant in the news and be newsworthy, but at some point, this nitpicking is going to filter its way right into the entire team. And it's going to hurt the entire organization in the end.”
Only time will tell how this ultimately plays out. Prescott will be the quarterback of the Cowboys in 2021 whether it be on a lucrative extension or a second franchise tag. However, the longer he doesn't have his long-term security the more the Cowboys risk not having him on the roster beyond next season.
