Tyler Smith knows when it comes to negotiating humongous contract negotiations with the Dallas Cowboys, it's about playing chess and not checkers. That's why his move to hire the Athletes First agency to represent him ahead of his fourth year in the NFL is a very important one.
Smith, the second-team All-Pro who is under contract through 2026 following the Cowboys' decision to pick up his fifth-year option, will enter 2025 knowing a new deal could await at the other end of the season.
What better way to attack his situation than joining the same agency that represents Dak Prescott, Micah Parsons, and many more high-profile players around the league.
Specifically, Todd France and Joe Panos will represent Smith, per DMN's Calvin Watkins . France is one of the most renowned agents in the game and he also represents Prescott, Josh Allen, Brian Burns, among others. Panos represents multiple high-profile offensive linemen like Penei Sewell and Frank Ragnow.
The Cowboys know how relevant the news is and they're not likely to be fans of it: They've had notoriously feisty negotiation processes with Prescott and France that have lasted years each.
“The Cowboys were banking on the Star on the helmet and that no matter what, (Dak Prescott was) gonna come back," France said about the negotiating process in a recent podcast from the agency. "It wasn’t gonna work out that way had a deal not worked out, I really believe that.”
Though he won't be working with Tyler Smith, Athletes First' David Mulugheta currently represents Parsons. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently said he didn't know the name of the superstar defender's agent.
The Cowboys have compared Smith to franchise legend Larry Allen himself. They know a lengthy negotiation process is coming with their young guard. For now, Smith has positioned himself in a favorable spot to become one of the highest-paid linemen in the league following a strong start to his career, in which he's showed he can play well at left tackle and at an All-Pro caliber inside.
