The Cowboys already made a big decision in the off-season by signing Tony Pollard, but now they’re working on restructuring the old star’s deal to keep him.
In what can be an offseason filled with tough decisions for the Dallas Cowboys, the team is trying to move quickly to make things work. On Tuesday, they officially marked the franchise’s return as Tony Pollard. And now it looks like they’re working to try to keep veteran star Tyrone Smith’s offense in Dallas, too.
Smith has the fourth-highest salary cap achieved by a Cowboys roster in the 2023 season and is set to tally $17.6 million against the cap, per Over the Cap. However, there have already been discussions about possibly cutting Smith since that would save the team more than $9 million this season.
But apparently that’s not the plan. ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler reported Wednesday that the Cowboys are working with Smith to keep him, and they will likely “rework” his deal in order to keep him around.
The #Cowboys are working on a decision to bring back eight-time Pro Bowler Tyron Smith for a 13th season, which may include a reworked contract, per sources. Smith owed $13.6 million in the final year of his deal.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 8, 2023
NFL rumour: Cowboys working to keep Tyrone Smith in a reworked deal
Smith is in the final year of his contract, but signing an extension, At Over the Cap, could help the team recoup nearly $10 million in cap space while keeping Smith on the roster for this year and a few years after that.
The eight-time Pro Bowler and former first-round pick has struggled with health in recent years, playing just 17 games combined over the past three seasons, including just four games last season.
With that said, Smith still performed at a very high level when he was on the field and could be vital to the Cowboys’ success early in the year. Terrence Steele will be recovering from an ACL tear suffered late in the 2022 season, which means Tyrone Smith and Tyler Smith could be the ends of the offensive line.
Still, it will be interesting to see how Dallas reworks this contract, if it’s an extension, a restructuring, or something different. Whatever the case, though, the organization clearly sees the need for Smith to be present this season and possibly longer, so they are already moving to make that possible.
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