FRISCO – In one of the goofiest and most hypocritical things ever uttered by Stephen A. Smith, the notorious Dallas Cowboys fake-hater, the ESPN First Take blabber is advising somebody else to shut up.

Cowboys fans are becoming increasingly aware of Dallas’ ability to be a player in NFL free agency, with the shopping window opening up on March 12 and with owner Jerry Jones’ team in position to create $100 million in cap room.

In that spirit, Micah Parsons – as a matter of fact never short on opinions – has recently urged Jerry (in private and in public) to here his roster-building “call to action.”

“I want to see us become aggressive and get some players that will come in and make an impact,” Parsons said. “I want to see us bring back our own players. That’s just as important. Let’s see what we can do there.”

Those desires naturally popped up on the Stephen A. Smith radar, and with a Cowboys segment to fill, Stephen A. appointed himself Parsons’ PR advisor.

“Micah Parsons, I say this affectionately, I need this man to be quiet,” Smith said. “I really do. I need him to be quiet.”

What? Why?

Apparently, to Smith, Parsons’ loud voice could end up interfering with him getting paid as the Cowboys star is expected to sign a contract extension this offseason that could make him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history.

“I want you to get your paper, bro. That’s what I want to do. It’s rare that I see a person, or an athlete, courtesy of his mouth, get in the way of his money. That’s my concern with Micah Parsons,” Smith said.

So Stephen A. – who we assume actually follows the Cowboys at least a little bit – thinks that Micah bringing attention to All Things Cowboys will cause Jerry Jones to pay him less?

Really?

Continued Smith: “I’ve seen plenty of athletes get in the way of their money with their performance; this brother gets in the way of his money by talking and trying to do the right thing. I applaud him for it. But this is Jerry Jones we’re talking about here.”

There is irony here and there is ignorance here.

Of all the people in the sports world to order someone else to shut up … Smith is literally the least qualified. That’s irony.

And ignorance?

Parsons has already suggested that he is willing to sacrifice some of his expected money if that means Dallas can acquire Myles Garrett. He’s also volunteered to get involved in recruiting. But one way or another, the Cowboys plan is to pay Parsons, just as they did last offseason when they extended both Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. … and lifted them atop the “highest-paid” mountain.

Dak said some things in public, during negotiations, that were negative toward the Cowboys.

Lamb said some things in public, during negotiations, that were negative toward the Cowboys.

And Jerry did his part with some negativity directed at them.

And the only person who ended up costing himself money was … Jerry.

Parsons’ passion for … well, almost everything … causes him to speak out about … well, almost everything.

But he wants to be a “Cowboy for Life.”

And the Cowboys feel the same way, COO Stephen Jones saying, “We love Micah. I can’t imagine there’s a scenario where he’s not wearing a star on his helmet.”

We do have the disingenuous quote from Stephen also saying, “It’s going to be really, really tight.”

As Parsons said not too long ago, “I understand how that business side goes. There are no hard feelings in this business, whether I’m here or anywhere else. Obviously I’ve stated that I want to be here. But at the end of the day, I understand the business side.”

Is it possible that Stephen A. Smith – who makes a handsome living pretending to know about your Dallas Cowboys – doesn’t “understand the business side” of Micah Parsons and Jerry Jones and “America’s Team”?