Emmitt Smith Says Cowboys Can't Be 'Playing Chicken' with Dak Prescott Contract

Former Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith said Tuesday he's "not even concerned" about the team's contract talks with quarterback Dak Prescott because he understands the business of the NFL. 

Smith explained during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan Radio he's confident a long-term agreement with Prescott, who received the franchise tag in March, will eventually get done since the Cowboys know there's no room for "playing chicken" heading into the 2020 season:

"If you understand the business of leverage, when you have leverage then you try to set the rules. And the only way you fight leverage is you fight it by establishing your ground and I think at some point this stuff will subside and it's not that important right now. ... It's important to press people that need something to talk about because you don't have much to talk about because we don't have camps and minicamps and so forth. And now we're talking about pandemic left and right, 24-7, seven days a week, however you look at it.

"So you look for something to discuss, but as far as the players go, Dak is not worried whether or not he's going to get signed. I'm not even concerned. I believe he will get it done. And I believe the Cowboys will get it done because we don't have room to be playing games or playing chicken."

The leverage game has been on full display in recent months.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported Prescott won't take part in any of the Cowboys' offseason team activities, which have been moved to a virtual format because of the coronavirus pandemic, unless he's signed to a long-term extension.

Dallas, lacking a proven backup quarterback, proceeded to sign longtime Cincinnati Bengals starter Andy Dalton to a one-year, $3 million contract to fill the No. 2 role on the depth chart.

Dalton, who ranks 19th among active quarterbacks in career passer rating (87.5), can't match Prescott's playmaking ability (fourth in passer rating at 97.0). He does provide a serviceable fallback plan should the contract situation eventually carry into the regular season.

July 15 is the crucial date. That's the deadline for Prescott and the Cowboys to finalize a contract extension. If no deal is in place by then, the only options for the quarterback are signing the one-year franchise tender worth $31.4 million or holding out for the entire year, an unlikely move.

Dallas' front office remains under pressure for two major reasons, though.

First, Prescott needs to get up to speed after the hiring of new head coach Mike McCarthy in January. The process, which has already been complicated for all players because there's no on-field work, is tougher for the offense without the quarterback in the virtual meetings.

Second, the Cowboys should be in the midst of a championship window. The talent on the roster is at a title-contending level despite their 8-8 record last year. It's unlikely they can reach their full potential if Dalton is forced to take over on a full-time basis.

Smith was asked during his 105.3 The Fan interview whether Prescott is on a level where he could lead the team to a Super Bowl.

"No doubt. No doubt. No doubt. I believe he is. And I think he's getting better," Smith said. "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. It's a matter now of making sure ... the key to any team is, essentially, developing the chemistry, which you definitely need."

The stalemate has continued, but the Hall of Fame running back isn't worried yet. And so far, there's no indication anyone other than Prescott will be under center for Week 1.