Dallas Cowboys restructure Tyron Smith’s contract

Tyron Smith – refer to caption – CC BY-SA

The Dallas Cowboys officially announced Wednesday that they had restructured Tyron Smith’s contract. This move allows the offensive tackle to continue to be a part of the team throughout the 2023 season, which also marks the final year of the contract he initially signed back in 2014.

The eight-time Pro Bowler agreed to reduce his base salary from $13.6 million. However, the contract stipulates that Smith can earn more than the $13.6 million figure on play-time incentives.

With Smith’s return, the Cowboys has more depth in the tackle position, especially after Terence Steele’s comeback from injury with a restricted free-agent tender. Then there is Tyler Smith, who can play either guard or tackle. In addition, the Cowboys is looking to add depth to the position next season with young tackles such as Matt Waletzko and Josh Ball.

Among Dallas’ tackles, Smith is the only Pro Football Hall of Fame candidate. As reflected in that achievement, he has shown his ability to perform at a high level when he’s healthy, but that wasn’t always the case.

Before the beginning of the 2022 season, the 32-year-old sustained a torn hamstring, prompting speculations that he would be out for the whole year. However, he made a comeback in December and willingly filled in as right tackle for Steele, who got injured on December 4.

Smith has played left tackle for 10 out of his 12 pro seasons, indicating a preference for the position, and has been selected to the Pro Bowl seven consecutive times between 2013 and 2019 and then again in 2021.

Apart from Smith, the Cowboys also renegotiated a contract with defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence allowing the team to free up $8.89 million in cap space by converting a portion of his salary into a signing bonus.

ESPN’s Todd Archer reported that the Cowboys had created roughly $45 million in cap space by reworking the contracts of wide receiver Michael Gallup, quarterback Dak Prescott, guard Zack Martin and Lawrence.

Dallas also released the three-time Pro Bowler Ezekiel Elliott to reduce costs. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the team listed him as a post-June 1 cut. His release will free up $10.9 million in salary budget space for the team in 2023.