40-year-old Aaron Rodgers, who is coming off an Achilles injury, will have some extra beef in big man Smith protecting him in 2024.
The New York Jets are expected to sign former Cowboys offensive tackle Tyron Smith to a one-year deal worth up to $20 million, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported on Friday, per sources.
Smith, 33 years-of-age, experienced the free-agent market for the first time in his career after spending 13 seasons in ‘Big D’ with America’s team. Smith was named to eight Pro Bowls with the Cowboys and was the longest-tenured player on the team this past season. He was a part of the 2010s all-decade team. It has to be devastating for Cowboys Nation to watch him leave to another team.
Throughout his career in Dallas, Smith became known as one of the elite tackles in all of football, when he was healthy. Health has been the main issue of concern, however. Smith has not taken the field for every game in a season since way back in 2015. He has been sidelined 35 games over the past four seasons, though he did appear in 13 last year.
The first-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft out of USC, will now move on from protecting Dak Prescott to Rodgers in the ‘Big Apple’, New York.
In the past few years, Smith’s play has been stifled due to the injury bug. He was on the shelf for the lion’s share of the 2020 and 2022 seasons. Since 2020, Smith has started 30 regular-season games and earned one Pro Bowl appearance. That will be something to keep an eye on, as the incentives in his contract for playing time start at 38 percent, NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo reported Saturday, according to sources.
Embed from Getty ImagesSmith’s arrival in New York is a massive boost considering how the Jets’ offensive line performed in 2023 and the need to protect an aging Rodgers, now in his 19th year. The unit surrendered an embarrassing 64 sacks last season, tied for the fourth-most in the league. As for Smith, he was Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded pass-blocking tackle in 2023 with an 88.6 pass-blocking grade, per NFL Research. His 84.6 PFF offensive grade ranked fifth among all tackles.
The Jets are continuing to use every resource at their disposal to improve the line. They have also added John Simpson and acquired Morgan Moses from the Baltimore Ravens. They will have a plethora of new protectors to help improve upon last year, while the Cowboys will see what life is like without one of their longtime anchors along the offensive line.
The Cowboys have not made any splash moves that would excite their fans this offseason. They have lost players like running back Tony Pollard to the Tennessee Titans, center Tyler Biadasz to their arch rival Washington Commanders and Smith in free agency.
Dallas has not added much, despite owner and general manager Jerry Jones saying his team would be “all in” this offseason.
Losing Smith is another blow. It is a plus for the Jets, however. Their line just got a significantly better, as long as Smith can stay on the field.
