Emmitt - Who 'Played Chicken' And Won - Analyzes Dak vs. Cowboys
FRISCO - When it comes to "playing Chicken'' from a player's perspective, Emmitt Smith has been there ... and won that.
And now he's advising his beloved Dallas Cowboys to not play that same game with unsigned franchise QB Dak Prescott.
"I believe he will get it done, and I believe the Cowboys will get it done,'' the the Hall-of-Fame running back said. "Because we don't have room to be playing games or playing Chicken."
The Cowboys are of course involved in negotiations with Prescott that center on a five-year offer at $35 million APY including $106-million-plus in normally-constructed guarantees. Prescott's side wishes for four years, with the franchise-tag fall-back being one year guaranteed at $31.409 million.
Smith believes the franchise-tagged quarterback will agree to a deal sooner rather than later. ... but understands why it might be "later.''
"If you understand the business of leverage, when you have leverage then you try to set the rules," Smith said Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan and "The Nosebleed Seats.'' "And the only way you fight leverage is you fight it by establishing your ground. ... I think at some point this stuff will subside ...''
Both sides have until July 15 to forge a long-term deal or else remain locked into the tag deal. But as of yet, like with a total of eight of this year's tagged NFL standouts, Prescott has yet to sign the tender.
"Dak is not worried whether or not he's going to get signed,'' Smith insisted, adding, "I'm not even concerned.''
Emmitt himself was involved in a game of Chicken in 1993, when his contract dispute with owner Jerry Jones' Cowboys bled into the regular season - a regular season that started with the defending Super Bowl champs losing their first two games. That 0-2 start added to Smith's leverage ... and he was signed shortly thereafter to a four-year, $13.6 million deal that made him the highest-paid running back in pro football history.
Fast-forward to today, and Smith believes that Dak is also a championship-level difference-maker.
"No doubt," said Smith, who by the way has demonstrated himself to be a very astute businessman (real-estate development) in his post-football life. "I believe he is. And I think he's getting better. I think he has so much more room to grow and I think he'll get there. I think overall, we have a lot of the pieces of the puzzle in place. ...
"If they can get to that level and develop that chemistry in this timeframe which they have to work with, then I think you will (see) Dak not only flourish and grow, I think you see that team mature and rally behind their quarterback,'' Smith said. "I think he'll be fine. I love the kid."
