Stephen A. Smith Admits Being Disturbed by Jerry Jones’ Odd Comments About George Pickens’ Contract Negotiations

Stephen A. Smith urged Jerry Jones to refrain from giving unsavory statements that can rub people the wrong way.

Stephen A. Smith Admits Being Disturbed by Jerry Jones’ Odd Comments About George Pickens’ Contract Negotiations

Stephen A. Smith, George Pickens and Jerry Jones (Image via IMAGO)

In Short
  • Jerry Jones faced criticism for comments regarding George Pickens' contract negotiations.
  • Stephen A. Smith expressed discomfort with Jones' choice of words and urged respect for agent David Mulugheta.
  • Pickens had a standout season, leading the Cowboys' offense and is under a franchise tag until 2026.

Jerry Jones is back in the news once again. He is catching flak for his comments about George Pickens’ future with the Dallas Cowboys, which didn’t sit well with Stephen A. Smith.

At the annual NFL owners’ meeting, the Cowboys’ veteran GM and owner talked about repairing the strained relationship with Pickens’ agent, David Mulugheta, who also represents Micah Parsons. Jones and Mulugheta butted heads last year when it was time for Parsons to get paid, which resulted in the All-Pro pass rusher leaving the Americas Team.

After the season Pickens just had in Cowboys colors, fans want the brass to tie him down for the long term. Earlier in the year, a franchise tag was placed on the wide receiver, keeping him in Dallas for the 2026 season. But he still has the freedom to speak with other teams.

Despite how the Parsons situation ended, Jones regularly keeps in touch with Mulugheta. However, Smith criticized Jones for his choice of words to describe the entire procedure. Smith said on Wednesday’s episode of First Take:

I’m very disturbed by what Jerry Jones said [and] I’m gonna call him. I’m gonna go see him if I can, if he will allow me to, because I’m not comfortable with what words just, I just heard come out of Jerry Jones mouth… Look at the reporters behind them. Look at their faces … that’s a very, very uncomfortable thing. I love Jerry Jones. Everybody knows that. Everybody knows that’s my guy. I don’t like that. I don’t like that at all. That’s incredibly uncomfortable to say.

Smith’s remarks follow Jones’ explanation of his long-time approach of dealing directly with players instead of relying mainly on agents.

The facts are that I’ve talked to hundreds of agents in my time over the last 35 years and have talked to some recently. I need to do a better job of not getting, ‘Well, Daddy said I could have it,’ and him going to Momma … and saying, ‘Daddy said I could have it…It always works out. If he worked without an agent, he’d save a lot of money with me.

Stephen A. Smith urges Jerry Jones to give David Mulugheta the respect he deserves

The Cowboys fans are all too familiar with this situation. Last year, Parsons held out for a long-term extension. He planned to stick around in Dallas for his entire playing career. However, Jones’ activities strained the relationship after he bypassed Mulugheta and talked business directly with Parsons.

Stephen A. Smith Admits Being Disturbed by Jerry Jones' Odd Comments About George Pickens Contract Negotiations
George Pickens (Image via IMAGO)

Parsons did not appreciate Jones’ actions. Eventually, the Cowboys traded the former first-rounder to the Green Bay Packers. Pickens stands in a similar position, and the Cowboys might lose him if Jones sticks to his primitive methods. Smith urged Jones to be more reasonable and talk things over with Mulugheta rather than badmouthing him in the media.

Jerry Jones, watch your mouth. You [are] better than that. Watch it. Because that comes across as very, very wrong. And when you’re talking about black players, you know how that’s going to be perceived. That comes across as very, very wrong, highly insensitive. You don’t need to be using that verbiage.

From Smith’s perspective, Mulugheta is one of the top agents in sports, and it hardly makes sense to end up on his bad side. He added:

You can’t come across like that because it’s bad…And just because you’re the billionaire owner of the Dallas Cowboys, don’t mean that you can’t receive some heat for the stuff that comes out of your mouth.

Pickens played eye-catching football in his first year with the Cowboys. With CeeDee Lamb missing a few games due to injury, Pickens led the offense as Dak Prescott‘s main receiver. He caught 93 passes for 1429 yards and scored 9 touchdowns in 17 appearances in 2025.

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