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Cowboys Icon Tyron Smith Part of Jets Fan-Favorites Purge

The New York Jets may have had a miserable season last year, but there are still plenty of players that the fan base have always loved for a number of reasons.

Whether it's due to strong play, fighting through injuries, or even being an underrated (and underused) member of the roster, fans can fall in love with players on their favorite teams for a myriad of reasons.

That's what makes free agency so difficult at times. Fans have to say goodbye to their favorite players at times.

The 2025 offseason was no different for the Jets.

New York saw starting cornerback D.J. Reed sign a lucrative three-year contract with the Detroit Lions after a strong three-year run with the team. Right tackle Morgan Moses signed a three-year, $24 million deal with the New England Patriots after fighting through serious injuries all year.

Even backup tight end Kenny Yeboah - somewhat of a fan favorite for the team - signed a one-year deal with the Lions.

And of course, Dallas Cowboys icon Tyron Smith, it seems, is one-and-done here.

Related: Jets' Justin Fields Signing Ranks as Top-10 Free Agency Move

Smith spent 13 seasons with Dallas, with eight Pro Bowl selections and five All-Pro nods. He signed a one-year deal with the Jets worth up to $20 million, but Smith started just 10 games at left tackle as a neck injury sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

Tyron, is going to the Pro Football Hall of Fame someday. ... but maybe he's got gas left in the tank for one more year - somewhere - at age 34.

Yeboah wasn't the kind of everyday starter that Smith, Reed and Moses were. Through his four-year run with the Jets, he recorded just nine catches for 111 yards and a touchdown. The undrafted free agent was always a third or fourth tight end for the team.

But he never really got a fair shot to be an everyday player. It's why the organization can feel just as bad about saying goodbye to some locker room stalwarts as they would for starters such as Reed or Moses.

It doesn't diminish what anyone else did at that rate.

Related: Cowboys Exploring Top 7 QB Options After Cooper Rush Signing

Related: Jets Fans Critical About New ‘Cheap and Underrated' Roster Plan

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This story was originally published March 16, 2025 at 2:35 PM.

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