Stephen A. Smith Makes Thoughts on Dak Prescott-Jerry Jones Drama Amid Contract Talks Extremely Clear

Drama can't seem to escape the Dallas Cowboys, especially when it comes to star quarterback Dak Prescott and owner Jerry Jones.

The negotiations for Prescott's contract have reached a deadlock, with his free agency looming after the 2024 season. He is entering the last year of his four-year, $160 million contract, which he signed with the Cowboys in 2021.

Should an extension not be reached, Prescott will have the opportunity to enter free agency, where he is expected to attract several high-paying offers.

Jones spoke on the situation with the NFL preseason coming to an end, saying it won't be a "risk" if the Cowboys can't get an extension with Prescott before the season begins.

“From the time I thought about buying the Cowboys, I frankly have never dwelled on assessing the risk of what we do around here," Jones said on Wednesday. "There's risk involved in everything you do, almost. There's risk involved; that's the nature of the game. Sometimes, it's worked out really well. Sometimes taking those risks will bite you.

"I don't even want to talk about any of the decisions about personnel with risk. It's all risky."

This prompted Stephen A. Smith to address the events on ESPN's First Take Thursday morning.

"I will run into Dak Prescott in the very near foreseeable future. If he asks what I'm about to say, I will tell him to his face, and that is this. Dak Prescott probably would need to leave Dallas, but Jerry Jones also should consider wanting him to. At some point in time, you got to produce. You got to show up, and it has to be in the postseason," Smith said.

"We can't look at stars and say the moment is important with them. But when it comes to Dak Prescott, we going to lean on the regular season. We going to lean on moments that really are not nearly as important as the bigger moments when we're talking when talking about championship questions."

Given Dallas' lackluster playoff performance with Prescott at the helm in recent seasons, Smith has stated that despite Prescott's regular-season achievements, his failure to sustain this success in the playoffs, coupled with the team's repeated failures, might lead him to seek a change of scenery.

Whether or not the contract extension happens, Prescott will be ready to suit up for the Cowboys to begin the season against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 8 at 4:25 p.m. ET.

Related: Cowboys Spark Fear of Losing Dak Prescott With Latest Message