Cowboys remind the NFL they’re the best in the business in specific area with Tyler Smith’s $96 million contract extension
The Dallas Cowboys are signing starting left guard Tyler Smith to a four-year contract extension worth $96 million, per ESPN’s Todd Archer.
Smith’s new deal makes him the highest-paid guard in NFL history at $24 million per year. The deal includes $80 million in guarantees, including a $16 million signing bonus.
I can’t help but think back to the 2022 NFL Draft when the Cowboys picked Smith with the 24th overall pick. At the time, Smith was a controversial selection by the Will McClay-led draft process, as he was largely perceived as a second-round prospect. NFL Mock Draft Database‘s big board had Smith ranked 35th in the class.
In that moment, players like LB Nakobe Dean were perceived as potential steals the Cowboys passed on to secure Smith, who they described as a starting guard with upside to become Tyron Smith’s replacement down the road.
It didn’t take long for Tyler Smith to prove the doubters wrong: In his second year in the NFL, he earned a Pro Bowl bid and second-team All-Pro honors. That was his first year playing left guard full time after Tyron’s injury forced him to play tackle as a rookie. He went to the Pro Bowl for the second time in 2024.
Now that he’s a $96 million man and that he’s ranked as the second-best interior offensive lineman in the NFL by anonymous coaches, execs, and scouts, the league was reminded of this: The Cowboys pick offensive linemen better than anyone in the NFL.