The Cowboys locked up one of their best players in left guard Tyler Smith on Saturday.
Smith and the Cowboys agreed to a four-year, $96 million extension, two people with knowledge of the deal told The Dallas Morning News.
Smith, 24, was a first-round pick from Tulsa in the 2022 NFL draft. Smith is considered one of the top guards in the NFL.
In the offseason, Kansas City’s Trey Smith became the highest-paid guard with a $23.5 million average salary. Trey signed a four-year $94 million deal with $70 million in guarantees. He surpassed the deal of Atlanta’s Chris Lindstrom, who inked a five-year $102.5 million deal in 2023. Lindstrom, who averages $20.5 million, is getting $62.7 million in guaranteed money.
Tyler was drafted with the possibility of moving to left tackle, however, team officials believe he is better suited to remain at the guard position.
In 2022, Tyler started 16 games at left tackle, but the following year he started 14 games at left guard and in 2024 started 15 more at the same position.
He’s a two-time Pro Bowl selection, both coming in the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He joined Zack Martin, Travis Frederick and Larry Allen as the only offensive linemen in team history to earn multiple Pro Bowl spots in their first three seasons.
In training camp, the Cowboys extended the contracts of tight end Jake Ferguson and cornerback DaRon Bland. Those are consolation prizes considering the team didn’t extend the contract of pass rusher Micah Parsons, whom the team traded to Green Bay on Aug. 28 for two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark.
In securing Tyler, the Cowboys made sure one of their premium players was taken care of long-term.
While the team doesn’t have Parsons on the field, it does have one more elite player on the roster with a long-term contract in Tyler.