Don’t take it personally: Dallas Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith connects with George Pickens over Jerry Jones drama

The Dallas Cowboys suffered without Emmitt Smith. They needed him badly during their losses.His presence equaled Super Bowl wins. And his absence? You know what we mean. His absence was prolonged because he wanted to be paid for his worth.The contract dispute drama between him and the Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is world-famous. But something of that sort has been historically happening for decades together…First, Herschel Walker [1991]. Then Emmitt Smith [1993]. Then Micah Parsons [2025]. And now, George Pickens [2026].But here’s the catch: Emmitt Smith has a little message/secret call for George Pickens. And it’s nothing but surprise!Backstory: George Pickens wanted a contract extension or a trade. The Dallas Cowboys franchise-tagged him instead, for $27.3 million for the 2026 season.Now, what did the legendary running back Emmitt Smith have to say about that?“I would say to George Pickens right now, you just ran into the business side of sports, period,” Emmitt Smith said on NFL Network’s The Insiders. “It’s nothing else but pure business.Try not to take it personally. I know you will, because I would take it personally, too. But if you do, shuffle that energy into your performance. Because I think your performance itself is going to speak a lot louder than anything else.”Pickens recorded 93 receptions for 1,429 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns in 17 games last year.The year before that, he played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he recorded 59 receptions for 900 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns in 14 games. Russell Wilson was the quarterback then for the Steelers.George Pickens’ production has peaked since he changed his franchise from Pittsburgh to Dallas. But there’s something that worries everyone.CBS Sports’ Bryan DeArdo put it into words: giving a franchise tag to George Pickens is like creating a recipe for disaster.Because he is known for self-sabotage when things don’t go according to his way. For this particular problem, Emmitt Smith offered a solution.“Allow your mood and your focus to be on dominating as a wide receiver. So, you can position yourself for free agency, or position yourself to be traded, or position yourself to give yourself an opportunity and better options for next year.And that’s a good thing,” Smith said. “And it also sends the right message that you are worthy of the dollars that you want. It sends a message to the marketplace that you are worthy of not only playing at the professional level, but you work at it, you own your craft, and you’re a great team player.Any other 29 or 30 teams will appreciate having that player on their team. If the [Dallas] Cowboys choose to trade you, or you choose to go into free agency, whatever decisions that you make going forward, it puts you in a better light.And I think anybody can appreciate that. You’re still young. You've got many years left. And you have an opportunity to set yourself apart.”Speaking about the Jerry Jones' drama concerning George Pickens, Emmitt Smith said via the NFL Network,"It's important for people to know, 'We don't need all that drama.' We're too good of an organization to be dealing with that drama. Don't need it.Sometimes you have to rise above the fray, and this is one of those times where we need to rise above the fray.Because the last 31 years have not produced the things that we want to see. There's no reason to be having drama when you don't have to. You don't have to create it."