Cowboys Prescott Trade Proposed by Stephen A. Smith 'If Dak Wets the Bed!'
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Dak Prescott insists his confidence and comfort levels are at an "all-time high'' and that he doesn't listen to the "white noise,'' telling us this week inside The Star, “If I’d have ever given (credence) to people’s opinions, I wouldn’t have made it this far in my life, in this league. Everybody has an opinion.''
Indeed. Still, at least in terms of its volume, it's difficult to ignore the screaming rants of ESPN shock jock Stephen A. Smith, who as Dak's Dallas Cowboys approach "Sunday Night Football'' and Week 1 here at MetLife Stadium against the New York Giants, is attempting to create a scenario in which the Cowboys soon trade Prescott.
The foundation of Smith's "report''? The possibility that in the 2023 season, Prescott might - as the ESPN voice so indelicately put it - "wet the bed.''
“At the end of the day, what Jerry Jones is saying,'' Smith said on "First Take,'' is that (due to Prescott's 2024 cap hit) ... you don’t want to release him, because it’ll kill you.
"But,'' Smith continued, crudely, "that means that you will entertain trading him, if he wets the bed.''
"The Worldwide Leader'' analyzing an important NFL transaction by painting a picture of a player "wetting the bed'' frankly speaks volumes about the incendiary and vacuous nature of the network's "reporting.'' (We suppose we feel fortunate the Smith opted to fall short of saying Dak might "(defecate) in the bed.'')
ESPN is within its rights to wonder if what seems like a Cowboys' sudden shift in plans signals a "wait-and-see'' approach from the Jones before they make a Joe Burrow-level commitment to Prescott. (We've covered that here.) More ideally, though, ESPN should ask Prescott about the situation ... as we and other DFW news outlets have done.
And for the record, Prescott - aware that his deal is structured in a way that comes with a $59 million cap hit that by its very nature figures to be massaged by a new contract extension before the start of the 2024 business year - says he "trusts'' the Cowboys front office.
ESPN thinking he should "take it personally'' has little value compared to whether Prescott actually feels that way. Right?
We have reported often that Jerry Jones has over the years privately wondered whether Dak is "the guy'' ... before eventually paying him as if he is, presently at a rate of $40 million APY. This is not a "controversial take'' or a "hot opinion''; it's fact. So that part of this story, Smith is simply regurgitating.
But how does that become "a trade of Dak?'' If the Cowboys really think he's going to "wet the bed,'' why are they paying him that $40 million APY while re-tailoring the new "Texas Coast Offense'' around his skills? Oh, and if he "wets the bed'' while making $40 million, why would another team want him?
Stephen A. tried to back down from his "analysis'' a bit before returning to crudity.
“I know the brother’s not a scrub,'' Smith said, relying on a colloquialism that again, seems an odd fit for "reporting'' this theoretically big story. ... before again talking in a way that strikes us as less than professional. "He’s talented. But ... ‘Look, I need more than two playoff victories, OK? I don’t need you to get the postseason yet again and wetting the bed.''
