Dallas Cowboys legend running back Emmitt Smith has discussed the organization’s ongoing extension discussions with defensive end Micah Parsons and detailed why these negotiations are a distraction for the team heading into next season.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Parsons and the Cowboys have had very little movement on an extension in recent months, prompting the four-time Pro Bowler to request a trade out of the franchise.
Smith has experience in a similar situation with the Cowboys, infamously missing three games in the 1993 season before returning to the team to help with a Super Bowl that same season.
The NFL Hall of Famer explained how these types of negotiations will continue to be a distraction for both the front office and players while at the premiere for a Netflix docuseries about the Cowboys on Monday.
“They had to answer these questions every day,” said Smith about his own time away from the team, per Joseph Hoyt.
“They got to deal with something that has nothing to do with the game of football. It’s a distraction. Like, these questions right now have nothing to do with this movie tonight. Nothing. It’s a distraction.”
Despite missing time during the 1993 season due to contract negotiations, Smith clarified that these situations are “not even close” to similar.
“The media should have never called me a holdout because I didn’t have a contract. … My contract ended. I didn’t have no more obligations to the Dallas Cowboys. I was out there in the wind as a free agent for 30 days until those 30 days closed. Then I only could talk to one team,” he said, per CBS Sports.
“I lost leverage, and that’s where Micah Parsons is at right now, is not having enough leverage. But he also has another year on his contract, so there’s a distinct difference between a holdout and being a free agent. …. The NFL did a good job of branding that moniker on me with the public. So everybody brings it up in that context, but I’m here to set this record straight.”
Moving forward, Smith said he hopes these issues are resolved before the season begins, explaining that his hope is that “Parsons gets his deal done” before the beginning of the regular season.
“For me, it’s more important to have all this business stuff behind you so the team can start to do the things that they came here to do. They came to training camp to come together as a team, forging a brotherhood, building the chemistry that they need to build,” he added, according to CBS Sports.
“All the other distractions need to be gone so you can focus on what you need to focus on.”