Dallas Cowboys veteran offensive tackle Tyron Smith makes a decision, future with team unclear

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We have more clarity about the future of veteran offensive tackle Tyron Smith.

The eight-time Pro Bowler and Dallas Cowboys pass blocker, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, isn’t ready to call it a career just yet.

“I don’t know (if Smith is returning to the Cowboys), but I talked to Tyron’s agent, and Tyron is not retiring,” reporter Clarence Hill told 105.3 The Fan. “So, he will play here or somewhere else next year.”

What Tyron Smith has done throughout his Cowboys career

Since the Cowboys drafted him at #9 overall in 2011, Tyron Smith has been a mainstay on this team’s offensive line.

He’s the highest O-lineman to be drafted by “America’s Team” since John Niland went fifth overall back in 1966.

Smith has been a First-team All-Pro two times over his illustrious career, in 2014 and 2016, while being on the Second-team in 2013, 2015 and this past season.

The NFL named him to their All-Decade Team in the 2010s.

He’s got a legitimate case to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame someday.

The biggest concern about Smith

Smith has been a rock on the Cowboys’ O-line, but that doesn’t guarantee he’ll be around in 2024.

In 2022, he tore his hamstring in training camp and only featured in four regular season contests.

Over the past few seasons, Smith’s had neck issues, ankle problems and hamstring strains; spending his share of time on the sidelines.

Seeing him feature in 13 regular season games in 2023 was encouraging, but he’s not played an entire regular season since 2015.

Tyron Smith’s salary

In 2014, Smith signed a lengthy eight-year deal with Dallas worth over $97 million, according to Spotrac.

Next season, he’ll carry a cap hit just over $6 million.

He becomes an unrestricted free agent on March 13.

How Smith’s loyalty could benefit the Cowboys

It’s been a while since we’ve seen Smith play an entire season, but he’s been incredibly loyal to Jerry Jones.

Making the long-term commitment he did years ago is rare in the salary-cap era and something that could help the Cowboys in 2024.

We know that money is tight in Cowboys Nation, with Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons hoping to sign long-term deals and potentially become lifetime players for “America’s Team”.

Jones, meanwhile, has made his sentiments clear that he wants to lay all of his cards down on the table and win another Super Bowl sooner rather than later.

Per Spotrac, Smith took a significant pay cut in 2023, earning a base salary of $3 million, significantly less than the $13.5 million over the previous campaign.

If Jones wants to keep him in Big D and upgrade the roster with new signings, both parties may need to agree to similar terms in 2024 as they did in 2023.

It’s doubtful that at 33 years old with all of his injury issues he’ll remain a Cowboy for anywhere above $13 million.

We will see next month what loyalty means to both Jones and Smith as we inch closer to free agency.