Tyron Smith‘s illustrious career may soon be coming to an end. The veteran offensive tackle revealed today that he’s considering retirement, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
“I’ve got to make a lot of decisions going forward,” Smith said. “Within the next couple weeks, I have to decide what I’m going to do as far as playing or not playing.”
Smith’s first season with the Jets ended in November after he suffered a neck injury that required an extended stay on injured reserve. Smith revealed that his flirtation with retirement isn’t related to his growing list of injuries, with the OT also noting that he’s regained “full range of motion” in his neck.
Following a 13-year stay in Dallas, the Jets recruited Smith to New York this past offseason. The offensive tackle was accompanied by his fair share of risk, as the lineman hasn’t made it through a season unscathed since 2015. This included a recent stretch where Smith missed 37 games between 2020 and 2023.
Naturally, the Jets filled their contract with incentives, as the $6MM pact could reach a $20MM value based on playing time. As Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com notes, the Jets recently cleaned up their books and paid off some of those incentives as bonuses. Now, instead of letting the veteran’s contract void out, the team would likely designate Smith as a post-June 1 cut, allowing them to defer some of the owed money to 2026.
Things obviously didn’t work out for the Jets nor Smith in 2024, but the team can rest easy knowing they have their future LT on the roster. First-round pick Olu Fashanu filled in for Smith at the position down the stretch and will be penciled into the starting lineup heading into the offseason.
Hall of fame caliber player, but his body has made taking the field an uphill climb since his 20s. 2023 was great for 13 games, but he had more trouble seeing the field this year, and he was worse when he did. The end is soon, whether by choice or not.
Perhaps taking a year off to get healthy could work. He’s still a young pup compared to guys like Andrew Whitworth and Jason Peters who were still playing at age 40. So many teams have a need at OL that I think he could find a market if he still wanted to stay in the game.