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It might seem sacrilege to dredge up old Cowboys rumors like this but, well, the folks at Bleacher Report are doing just that. Thirteen-year veteran Tyron Smith has been with the Cowboys since he was drafted out of USC in 2011, a 13-year span that has seen Smith earn eight Pro-Bowl selections and two All-Pro honors. It also saw him earn what was, at the time, a massive and record-breaking eight-year, $98 million contract back in 2014.
Smith has had trouble with health as he has gotten older, and last season, he was limited to just four games because of a neck injury. He has missed two games this season, too. That could make the Cowboys a bit more willing to move on from Smith when he hits free agency this offseason.
And B/R has him taking a spot in the AFC next year—with the Las Vegas Raiders, who have one star-caliber player on the line (Kolton Miller) but are in need of some upgrades. That, of course, would be a pretty major surprise. It’s long been rumored that if the Cowboys were to waive or trade Smith, he’d simply retire.
Raiders Need Veteran OL Help
Here’s what Bleacher Report wrote about Smith’s future, and the potential that he could be pursued by the Raiders, on Monday:
“Kolton Miller is a good left tackle and the Raiders have looked at several different answers at right tackle. Going with a rookie is always a bit of a gamble, so it might be good to find a veteran who can at least serve as a mentor and one-year bridge.
“Tyron Smith’s future with the Cowboys is interesting. The 33-year-old has been there his entire career and is still playing at a high level. However, he’s set to become a free agent and has a significant injury history. The Raiders should be willing to roll the dice if he becomes available.”
It’s not clear whether a move for Smith would mean that Miller moves to right tackle or that Smith does so. Smith has experience playing on the right side, a transition that is not necessarily simple. But the Raiders could do a lot worse than getting either Smith or Miller to play on the right side, with the other on the left.
The Cowboys do also have Tyler Smith, who they drafted in 2022 to replace Tyron Smith, and who they would like to transition back into the left tackle spot—eventually.
Cowboys Rumors: Tyron Smith to Retire?
In the meantime, Tyron Smith does, indeed, remain among the best in the game at his position, even with his age and injury concerns. He has a grade at Pro Football Focus of 84.0, which is second in the NFL among all tackles.
He has shown he is still capable of being among the best left tackles in the game, but there has also been chatter that he has no interest in playing elsewhere. That talk came about last year when the Cowboys were in a cap crunch and were considering cutting Smith. Eventually, the team restructured the final year of his deal.
As former Cowboys scout Bryan Broaddus explained last February on the “Love of the Star” podcast, “I tell you what, there’s a side of me that believes and this is because it’s been reported to me, that if they were to trade or to cut Tyron Smith, he would be done. He would just retire. If they were to trade him or cut him, he would just quit. … I think that’s kind of where we’re at right now.”
Will that change after this season? Maybe. Perhaps the Raiders will find out.
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Cowboys’ Aging $98 Million Star Predicted to Land With Raiders