Amidst the Dallas Cowboys-George Pickens saga, franchise legend Michael Irvin has slammed ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith for his startling comments about the team’s owner, Jerry Jones. The controversy began with Jones addressing the latest about Pickens’ extension after the Cowboys franchise-tagged him and expressing how he prefers working with players without agents. However, Jones’ verbiage didn’t sit well with Smith. And so, he issued heinous accusations against Jones, which weren’t liked by Michael Irvin.

“You know, we can’t make something out of nothing with this one,” Irvin said in the latest segment of his podcast. “You know what I mean? It’s simple; as your boy, I would tell you what you always say. You need to be tested for saying something like that.”

Irvin’s gripe with Stephen A. Smith came after the First Take host slammed Jerry Jones for his “Daddy Momma” analogy, where the Cowboys’ owner spoke about how he isn’t particularly in favor of interacting with a player and his agent when the conversations with both don’t match, leading to more confusion when speaking about the negotiations with Pickens and his agent David Mulugheta, who also represents Micah Parsons and played a key role in his trade away from Dallas.

Jerry Jones had said, “Well, daddy said I could have it, and him going to Momma and Momma saying daddy said I could have it,” where Parsons was the “kid” going back and forth between the two “parents” (Mulugheta and Jones). However, Stephen A. Smith didn’t like this analogy, especially when he was referring to players of color.

“I don’t like the way he didn’t have to do that,” Smith said on First Take. “He could have come up with a thousand different ways to make his point rather than doing it the way that he did it. It’s very, very condescending, very insulting. And I’m telling you right now, black folks listening to that aren’t going to take kindly to verbiage that Jerry Jones used.”

While Michael Irvin has issued a clear stance about Stephen A. Smith’s accusations about Jerry Jones, the Cowboys’ former number 88 raised concerns about the future of George Pickens in Dallas.

Michael Irvin hopes Pickens isn’t “floating away” from Dallas

After his incredible 2025, wide receiver George Pickens has emerged as one of the most talked-about players through this offseason. After joining the Cowboys via a trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pickens recorded career highs in catches (93), yards (1,429), and touchdowns (nine) while securing second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler nods.

However, with the season ending, Pickens was a free agent and has since been in contract talks with the Cowboys, who franchise-tagged him. But since then, there hasn’t been any significant progress made regarding a long-term extension for the star wideout. Hence, Michael Irvin raised concerns about how this delay shouldn’t end up working against the Cowboys.

“And I hope and pray that the wave doesn’t become a wave where somehow George Pickens is floating away from us,” Irvin said. “I really do because this year, right now, is going to get pretty crazy, pretty interesting.”

With this statement, it’s clear that Michael Irvin, while defending Jerry Jones after Stephen A. Smith’s accusation, isn’t happy with the way the Dallas Cowboys have operated while negotiating an extension with George Pickens. Hence, the playmaker hopes that America’s Team can find a solution and then push to end the 30-year Lombardi Trophy drought this season.