Cowboys target Ezekiel Elliott's agent in contract saga

<p class = "canvas-atom-canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "The & nbsp;Dallas Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith signing& nbsp; an extension on Tuesday was not so bad because of the person who signed but did not do it either. "data-reactid =" 15 "> The linebacker Jaylon Smith's signature by the Dallas Cowboys was not retained." It's a big deal because of who was signed, but who did not do it .

At present, management uses the deal as a weapon in the team's very public deal negotiations with their offensive stars.

While the Cowboys lock a centerpiece of their young emerging defense, their three offensive stars remain without new agreement.

Quarterback Dak Prescott, running back Ezekiel Elliott and wide receiver Amari Cooper are all negotiating with the team.

Cowboys use Smith to target agents

The team released Smith's contract extension Wednesday at a press conference.

The cowboys 'brass arms took advantage of the opportunity to put pressure on the negotiations, with executive vice president – and Jerry Jones' son – Stephen Jones taking his revenge in the ongoing contract soap opera.

Jones was not targeting the players, but their agents.

"I have a lot of respect for most agents, you know," Jones told reporters. "I really do, I think they're trying to do their job for these players, but I think sometimes they do not have the end of the game that players should maybe do and we have."

Who is the target audience?

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "The comment was intended for no one in particular No name has been named, but with Elliott's support changing to & nbsp;a public quarrel& nbsp; between Agent Rocky Arceneaux and Jerry Jones, it is not difficult to calculate exactly who is the target here. "data-reactid =" 30 "> The comment was not addressed to anyone.No name was named.But with Elliott's support turning into a public feud between l & # 39; Agent Rocky Arceneaux and Jerry Jones, it's not hard to do the math to know who the target is here.

Arceneaux is a former NFL agent who founded the Alliance Management Group, which represents players such as Marshall Faulk and Eric Dickerson. He has already negotiated high profile contracts.

But by leaving the names anonymous, Jones made sure that the message was also conveyed under the terms of the Prescott and Cooper negotiations.

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So do you care about money or win?

Jones continued to press him for victory and championships, highlighting players and agents fighting for their best financial interest in an apparent attempt to train players against their agents.

"I think sometimes our players have to realize that their representatives do not always have the best to get the most out of it, so players can not get the most out of it." their long-term future if they wish – and I'm totally convinced that all of our players want it – want to win championships and keep those young players right in. I do not think the reps, and they're all good, feel like it's their problem. "

Jones is right there on one point. It is not the problem of the agents to worry about the championships. Their job is to get the best possible deals for their clients. It is the job of management to worry about budgeting in terms of building championship contenders.

Blame the salary cap

And it's a challenge of them. Ownership has rooted the wage ceiling in the structure of the collective agreement. And the Cowboys must be concerned about dividing the cake rather than paying the true market value for their stars.

<p class = "canvas-atom-canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "And do not get me wrong." It's 100 percent wage ceiling problem, Forbes recently estimated & nbsp;Jerry Jones will have a net worth of $ 5 billion& nbsp; after buying $ 140 million from the Cowboys in 1989. Paying gamers their true market value is not an organic problem for the Cowboys. "data-reactid =" 51 "> And make no mistake: it's a salary cap problem, Forbes recently estimated that Jerry Jones had a net worth of $ 5 billion after buying $ 140 million from the Cowboys in 1989. Paying the players their true market value is not an organic problem for the Cowboys.

But the hat exists, and the Cowboys are in a dilemma because of it.

"There is less pie"

Jerry Jones addressed the cap issue directly on Wednesday in the light of Smith's deal, noting that "there was less pie left, do not worry."

He also seems to have recruited Smith to convey the team's messages.

"Let me understand my ego without identifying with it," Smith said of his contract negotiations. "I can be aware that we all have an ego for better or for worse, but if you do not identify with them, you can really be present."

<p class = "canvas-atom-canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "In the meantime & nbsp;Elliott stays in Cabo San Lucas, apparently not at all an agreement that satisfies his requirements. "Meanwhile, Elliott stays in Cabo San Lucas, apparently far from an agreement that meets his requirements.

This promises to become uglier before both parties find the resolution – or do not do it.

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "More from Yahoo Sports:"data-reactid =" 59 ">More from Yahoo Sports: