Dallas Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith looked closer to his prime than he did to the end of his career during the 2023 NFL season. 

In 13 starts, Smith earned second-team All-Pro honors as he showed elite pass protection skills and won matchups against many of the premier pass rushers in the league. And yet, with his long injury history and with 13 seasons under his belt, his future seemed a little blurry until Tuesday as retirement appeared to be an option for Smith.

According to Clarence Hill from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the future Hall of Famer isn't hanging it up just yet.

"I don't know (if Smith is returning to the Cowboys) but I talked to Tyron's agent and Tyron is not retiring," Hill told 105.3 The Fan. "So he will play here or somewhere else next year."

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In Mike McCarthy's press conference at the end of the season, the Cowboys head coach pointed out it was a good season for Smith from an injury point of view even if he did miss a few games. 

"I think the biggest thing for Tyron is, you know, we talked about the path of his season and the training plan that was in place for him," McCarthy told reporters when asked about his conversations with Smith. "This is clearly his best season that I've experienced with him since 2020. So, he felt really good about that."

Per the head coach, Smith is also not expected to undergo any offseason surgeries, which is a win for the 33-year-old.

Tyron Smith contract projection

Now the question is if the Cowboys will make sure to capitalize on the above news and keep Smith. Although his age and injury histories will keep him from a top-of-the-market type deal, chances are Tyron isn't going to be as cheap as he was in 2023 when he signed a incentive-heavy deal. 

Below is a summary of our very own A to Z Sports' contract projection for Tyron Smith: 

Unless Smith decides to retire, it would make sense to see him go to a contender that will keep his Year One cap hit as low as possible, spread out the signing bonus across five years, but bank an “option” year in 2025 that would be a reasonable cap hit if he manages to stay healthy in 2024 but still entices him to play another season.

Franchise Tag Likelihood: Very Low
2 Year, $25 million, $12.5 million APY, $15M GTD
Year One Cap Hit: $4.5M

Should the Cowboys bring him back? 

To me, the answer is a resounding yes. Jerry Jones is out there talking about going all-in ahead of the 2024 season and claiming they're going to "not to build it for the future."

Well, if that's the case, give me the All-Pro left tackle protecting Dak Prescott's blindside who was dominant last year. However, the Cowboys need to work on a better plan B for those instances when Smith isn't available.

Tyron Smith’s 2024 free agency contract projection

A shorter deal seems likely.