It’s been less than three months since eight-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Tyron Smith signed a one-day contract with the Dallas Cowboys to retire from the NFL after 14 seasons.
And while this time of year typically looks much different for the future Hall of Famer, Smith has still been able to stay busy in mentoring current Cowboys offensive linemen and attending the “Big and Beautiful” offensive line summit in Las Vegas last month as a teacher and mentor to various linemen across the league.
As Smith heads into the next phase of his life and career, he sat down with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram to discuss his first few months of retirement.
Early days of retirement
Just because Smith is not training to head to Oxnard, Calif., for training camp in the coming weeks does not mean he hasn’t been busy.
A father of three young children, Smith has been prioritizing spending time with his family in the last few months, as he has quickly found out that it’s a whole full-time job in and of itself.
“It has been a little weird,” Smith said. “Usually during this time, I’m still working out and getting ready for camp. Right now, I’m just working out to stay in shape, personally. Just hanging out with the family, I’ve been more busy hanging out with the family than I was playing football, believe it or not.”
One of the many positives of not having to train for a season is sneaking in a few more cheat meals than he’s used to. While he maintains he still wants to remain in tip-top shape, he did laugh as he admitted that he’s indulged a little more as of late.
“My main cheat meal is pizza and burgers right now,” he said. “I’m trying to stay away from it and on this no carb diet, but for a big guy that’s hard to do.”
What does the next step look like for Smith? A career in media? Maybe real estate or investing? All of it remains an unknown. For him, his focus is at home until he feels it’s the right time.
“I’m still taking it easy right now,” he said. “I’m making sure things are settled at home, get the kids used to me being home then figure out my next step and next adventure I want to do.”
Working with Tyler Guyton
Earlier this offseason, a photo of Smith working with Cowboys left tackle Tyler Guyton one-on-one made its rounds on social media. As Guyton heads into his second year in the league after being drafted in the first round in 2024, the pressure has increased after an rocky rookie season. Fortunately for him, he has Smith now in his corner to help him progress.
“He wants to put in the work,” Smith said. “He just needs a little technique work which he’s doing right now. I feel like it’s going to be a different type of year for him to slow the game down and get the rookie nerves out. I think he’s building more confidence in his technique because he’s learning a lot more now.”
“Being a first rounder the way he is, he already has the expectations. But you can’t lean in too much on that, you have to have it for yourself. You have to want to be the best in this league, and that has to be your mentality. As an offensive lineman, we have to have the mentality of playing in this league as long as possible.”
The two share the same agent and have known each other since before Guyton was drafted to be Smith’s replacement in 2024. Their shared connection has Smith wanting the best for Guyton, even if that means he eclipses the level of play he brought to Dallas for 13 seasons.
“I’ve told him before, ‘I want you to be better than how I ever did it,’” Smith said. “It makes me feel good that another guy is wanting to strive to be better than me.”
From one All-Pro to another
Another Cowboys offensive lineman that Smith has found himself working more with this offseason is the former man to his right on the Dallas front, Tyler Smith.
The younger Smith is heading into his fourth season with the Cowboys and has eclipsed expectations since he was drafted in the first round in 2022 with two Pro Bowl nods and a second-team All-Pro honor in 2023.
“The next step for Tyler Smith is just continuing doing what he’s doing,” Tyron Smith said. “He has the raw talent, the raw strength. He has it naturally. Even for him, slow the game more for himself to hone in more on his technique. He learned early on that you don’t have to muscle everything. You can slow the game down for yourself by honing in on your technique. That will make you last long in this league, and I think Tyler Smith learned that very early on.”
With a quick progression through just three seasons in the NFL, expectations have reached an atmosphere that only a select few have reached as a Cowboys offensive lineman, an air that Tyron Smith breathed for his entire career.
“For Tyler Smith, the sky is the limit.”
High expectations for Brian Schottenheimer
Smith only had one season with new Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer when he was the offensive coordinator in Smith’s final year in Dallas in 2023. But in that one year, Smith learned a lot about the man now tasked with getting Dallas back to playoff prowess.
He said it wasn’t a surprise at all when he learned that Schottenheimer went from an off-the-board candidate to winning the job, as he sees a natural transition happening in his former NFL home.
“It’s a good fit for the guys,” Smith said. “He knows the guys and the guys love him. He brings an energy to the team. He has fun putting the work in. [Schottenheimer] brings some joy back to the game where it’s a joy to come to work.”
Schematically, a lot still remains largely unknown about what Schottenheimer will bring to the field in 2025. But as someone who worked under his offensive brain, Smith has an idea.
“He is always two steps ahead of what guys are thinking. I think he’s going to surprise a lot of people. I can’t wait to watch.”
Editor’s note: This interview availability was made possible by the BTL Emsculpt product, which helps athletes continue to build physically while still recovering. As someone who experienced many recoveries from multiple surgeries in his career, here is what Smith said about using the product recently:
“The product is amazing. Not many people understand the benefits that go along with it. There’s a lot of recovery benefits that come along with it such as building muscle mass or maintaining muscle mass, especially for guys that come out of surgery. A guy like me that had a lot of surgeries, it would have been beneficial for me early in my career. Based on the information they told me, you work with the machine for four weeks and you build muscle mass while you’re recovering.”