Back in 2011, the Cowboys took a chance on a 20-year-old USC tackle named Tyron Smith. He was the youngest player in the league that year, but you wouldn’t have known it watching him. By 2014, he’d locked down an eight-year, $109 million extension. Let’s just say the Cowboys were basically securing their O-line’s future. And they weren’t wrong. Smith didn’t just hold down the left side of that line—he dominated it.

Remember the 2016 season when Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott lit up the league as rookies? That electric run couldn’t happen without Tyron plowing through defenders like he was clearing traffic. While Elliott became the league’s leading rusher in that season, Prescott led his team to the NFC East title with a 13-3 record.

Fast forward, and Smith’s been the quiet cornerstone, protecting quarterbacks and anchoring the offense with a consistency that’s rare in the NFL. And now? After spending 14 seasons in the NFL (13 with the Cowboys), the 34-year-old OT decided to hang up his cleats. The NFL shared his retirement news on their official IG handle, writing, “Longtime Cowboys LT Tyron Smith to retire after 14 seasons in NFL.” 

If you watched the Cowboys anytime in the last decade, you knew about that monster O-line trio—Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, and Zack Martin. Just straight-up bulldozers in front of every snap. Frederick bowed out in 2020 after seven rock-solid seasons. Then Martin called it quits just a couple months ago after 11 years of wrecking defenders. And now with Smith stepping away too? That’s it—the final chapter of Dallas’ most dominant trench trio is officially closed.

But the interesting part? See, Smith played 13-seasons with the Cowboys, and later signed a one-year $20 million deal with the New York Jets in the 2024 season. But let’s be real—despite signing with the Jets, Smith knew it, you knew it, and the Cowboys absolutely knew it that Tyron Smith was always a Cowboy. The result? Well, the 34-year-old former Cowboys’ OT signed a one-day deal with Dallas just to retire as a Cowboy. Talk about loyalty.

In his 14-season-long career, Smith made eight Pro Bowls and earned five-time All-Pro nods. But if we’re to define his career and legacy in the NFL, then it’s safe to say that Smith was so consistent that even when injuries hit later in his career, opponents still had to game-plan around him. Now that he’s entering the post-retirement phase of his life, the Cowboys players and his former teammates paid tribute to one of the best OTs in the league.

Dak Prescott to Micah Parsons: The Cowboys paid tribute to Tyron Smith

When Jerry Jones and the Cowboys drafted Tyron Smith, they surely knew what they were doing. I mean, the guy was recognized as the best offensive and defensive linemen on the West Coast in 2010 while playing for the USC Trojans. So yeah, that led to the Cowboys drafting Smith in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft with their 9th overall pick.

Fast forward to 14 years, and Smith will now sign a ceremonial deal with the Cowboys on Wednesday in order to retire as a Cowboy. Right after that went down, the Cowboys’ players and Smith’s ex-teammates took to their respective social media handles to congratulate the 34-year-old OT. “I always got your back, as you had mine! Enjoy Retirement! Grrrr,” the Cowboys’ QB, Dak Prescott shared in his IG story. And why not?

I mean, Dak Prescott and Tyron? That duo was like comfort food on a Sunday—steady, reliable, and always there when it mattered. No wonder Dak trusted Tyron with his blindside like it was gospel. Besides the Cowboys’ tight end, Jake Ferguson also took to his official IG handle and shared a message for Smith, writing, “Legendary @TYRONSMITH77. Taught me everything about cherry juice! Love you big dawg,” Ferguson wrote in his story.

To top that off, the team’s guard, Tyler Smith, also chimed in as he wrote, “The real deal grateful for everthing @tyronsmith77,” in his IG story. But if there was someone who really grabbed the spotlight without even writing a word, then it was none other than Micah Parsons. The man just hopped up on his social media handle and shared some GOAT emojis with Tyron Smith’s picture. Because, sometimes, a few emojis are enough to define a player’s career and his legacy. And Parsons knew that very well.

All in all, this day marked as an end to an impeccable NFL career of Tyron Smith. And don’t be surprised if he, along with his former teammate Zack Martin, gets elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame when they will be eligible for the first time in 2030.