Tyron Smith is set to retire with the Dallas Cowboys after the perennial Pro Bowl left tackle spent his final season with the New York Jets, a person with knowledge of Smith's plans said Tuesday.
The Cowboys set a Wednesday announcement from Smith without providing any details. A person who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity said the 34-year-old intended to sign a ceremonial one-day contract in order to retire with the franchise that drafted him in the first round 14 years ago.
The selection of Smith at No. 9 overall triggered a rebuilding of the Dallas offensive line, which was among the best in the NFL within a few years of that move.
Smith's retirement comes a little more than a month after right guard Zack Martin made the same announcement following an 11-season career spent entirely with the Cowboys. Martin and Smith were teammates for 10 years.
Smith was the first of three offensive linemen drafted in the first round by Dallas in a four-year span. Center Travis Frederick was a late first-round pick in 2013, followed by Martin a year later. Frederick retired following the 2019 season.
Smith played right tackle when he debuted as a 20-year-old rookie out of Southern California. He switched to quarterback Tony Romo's blind side in 2012 and ended up as an eight-time Pro Bowler at left tackle. Smith was a two-time All-Pro, first with Romo in 2014, then in Dak Prescott's rookie season in 2016.
After missing just one game in his first five seasons, Smith began to have issues with injuries and missed at least three games in each of his final nine years. That included a pair of seasons with the Cowboys in which Smith was limited to a total of six games.
Smith made 161 starts over 13 seasons with the Cowboys before making 10 starts for the Jets last season.
Dallas had seven winning seasons and six playoff appearances during Smith's tenure, but couldn't get past the divisional round. The Cowboys have gone 29 seasons without reaching an NFC championship game since winning the franchise's fifth Super Bowl title.
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Credit: AP
Credit: AP