Tyron Smith - Pro Football Rumors

Watt, Bryant, Others Get Salary Guarantees

March 13th, 2016 at 6:20pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Several NFL players have contracts containing language which states that they’ll get a full or partial salary guarantees for 2016 and/or 2017 if they remained on their respective teams on Sunday, the fifth day of the league year. Let’s check in on those players (link courtesy of CBS Sports’ Joel Corry):

Ryan Tannehill, quarterback (Dolphins): $3.5MM of $17.975MM base salary for 2017 is guaranteed.
Dez Bryant, wide receiver (Cowboys): $13MM base salary for 2017 is guaranteed.
T.Y. Hilton, wide receiver (Colts): $3MM base salary for 2016 is guaranteed. $6MM roster bonus now payable.
Anthony Castonzo, offensive tackle (Colts): $2.5MM base salary for 2016 is guaranteed. $4.5MM roster bonus now payable.
Tyron Smith, offensive tackle (Cowboys): $10MM base salary for 2016 is guaranteed.
Branden Albert, offensive tackle (Dolphins): $6MM of $8.245MM base salary for 2017 is guaranteed.
Mike Pouncey, center (Dolphins): $9MM base salary for 2016 is guaranteed, as is $2MM of Pouncey’s $7.95MM base salary in 2017.
Maurkice Pouncey, center (Steelers): $3.5MM roster bonus now payable.
Cameron Heyward, defensive end (Steelers): $5MM roster bonus now payable.
J.J. Watt, defensive end (Texans): $10.5MM base salaries for 2016 and 2017 are guaranteed.
Robert Quinn, defensive end (Rams): $7,777,777MM base salary for 2016 is guaranteed.
Lavonte David, linebacker (Buccaneers): $5MM base salary for 2016 is guaranteed.
Chris Harris Jr., cornerback (Broncos): $6.9MM base salary for 2016 is guaranteed.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cowboys, Tyron Smith Restructure Contract

March 9th, 2015 at 9:01pm CST by Dallas Robinson

9:01pm: The Cowboys didn’t bring Smith’s base salary all the way down to the minimum, tweets Todd Archer of ESPN.com, meaning they only converted $10MM into a signing bonus.

7:03pm: Save for the Saints, the Cowboys were set to have the least amount of cap space in the NFL when the new league year begins tomorrow. As they attempt to make moves during free agency to shore up areas of need, they’ve agreed to a contract restructure with left tackle Tyron Smith that will free up more than $8MM in cap room, according to Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News.

Per George, Dallas used a built-in restructuring mechanism attached to Smith’s contract, converting $10.2MM of his $11.039MM 2015 base salary into a signing bonus, creating a savings of $8.16MM. As such, the Cowboys will now have more than $11MM to work with when free agency starts tomorrow afternoon. Smith is in the midst of an eight-year, $109MM extension that contained $40MM guaranteed.

As George writes, the Cowboys could create an additional $12.8MM in space if they chose to restructure quarterback Tony Romo‘s contract. However, the club has already done so in the past, and would prefer not to tweak Romo’s deal again.

NFC Notes: Lynch, Peterson, Bush, Suh

November 27th, 2014 at 1:26pm CST by Luke Adams

As the second half of the Bears/Lions game gets underway in Detroit, let’s round up a few Thanksgiving Day notes from around the NFC….

While head coach Pete Carroll insists that the Seahawks expect running back Marshawn Lynch to continue his career in Seattle in 2015, it won’t be an easy decision for the team, given Lynch’s age and increasing cap number. In an Insider-only piece, Field Yates of ESPN.com takes a closer look at the team’s upcoming decision on Lynch.
With the appeal hearing for his suspension set to commence next Tuesday, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has until tomorrow to submit any materials he plans to introduce at the hearing, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
After signing with the Cardinals, veteran running back Michael Bush is looking forward to getting a fresh start in Arizona, telling ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss that he didn’t feel as if he got a “fair shake” from the Bears during his last year in Chicago.
Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press believes the Lions should let defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh walk in free agency, arguing that GM Martin Mayhew and his staff have exhibited a knack for finding less cheaper – and often younger – defensive talent in the draft and free agency.
In a story for ESPN The Magazine, Tim Keown takes an interesting look at Cowboys offensive tackle Tyron Smith‘s financial history since entering the NFL, including the Pro Bowler’s struggle with his family’s demands for money.

Cowboys Links: Hatcher, Murray, Smith

October 16th, 2014 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Having signed in the offseason with the Redskins, defensive lineman Jason Hatcher is now a member of the NFC East’s last-place team, rather than the 5-1 Cowboys. However, as Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com details, Hatcher has no regrets about leaving Dallas for Washington.

“Not at all,” Hatcher said. “I don’t really pay attention to them, man. I got a job to do. Those guys, they’re playing some great ball over there. But at the end of the day, I’ve got to come over here and be who I am.”

Let’s round up a few more Cowboys-related links….

DeMarco Murray‘s incredible performance so far this season is likely increasing his value and making it harder for the Cowboys to lock him up as he approaches free agency, but executive VP Stephen Jones is just fine with that, according to Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. In fact, Jones would be happy if more players in similar situations make things hard on the Cowboys. “I hope we have our work cut out for us in the offseason, and that we’re coming off a big year and two or three of the players that are up for contract have great years,” Jones said. “That’ll be a good problem to have.”
Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap takes an interesting, in-depth look at Murray’s upcoming free agency, which he believes will be crucial for the future of the running back position.
Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith, the NFC reigning offensive player of the week, does not have a high ankle sprain, and could be available to play in Week 7, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
A lawsuit filed against Cowboys owner Jerry Jones by former stripper Jana Weckerly has been dismissed, writes Archer at ESPNDallas.com. “Ms. Weckerly’s allegations were false,” said Jones’ attorney Levi McCathern. “This case is over.”
Earlier today, I asked which of the NFL’s 5-1 teams is the strongest Super Bowl contender, and so far the Cowboys are running last, behind the Chargers and Eagles, respectively.

NFC East Notes: Redskins, Sproles, Watt, Foles

October 3rd, 2014 at 8:35am CST by Zachary Links

The Redskins‘ defense is making youthful mistakes and the staff at CSNWashington.com wondered aloud if they should consider bringing in guys like Asante Samuel or Champ Bailey rather than watching Bashaud Breeland play corner. Here’s more from the NFC East..

Eagles running back Darren Sproles is still mad about how things ended with the Saints, writes Mark Eckel of The Times of Trenton. “I felt disrespected there,’’ said Sproles. “Listen, I understand this is business and all of that, but (when they talked about trading him) they put it up on Twitter. That’s how I found out. There was a screen shot and a friend of mine texted it to me. I felt they did me wrong. First, Sean (Payton) told me they were going to cut me. Then I find out on Twitter they’re trading me. That’s just not right.”
As his team prepares to face J.J. Watt this Sunday, Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett says there are no regrets about passing on the star defensive lineman to select tackle Tyron Smith in the 2011 draft (link via Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). Watt may be the best defensive player in the league, but Smith is one of the NFL’s best left tackles, and Dallas drafted him at a time when the club needed “cornerstone” pieces on its offensive line.
The Eagles are going to have a lot of interesting decisions to make after the season but at the moment, whether to make Nick Foles a wealthy man doesn’t look like it’ll be one of them, writes Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News. Their cornerbacks also setting the world on fire. Bradley Fletcher will have to step it up if he’s going to get a new contract from the Eagles. Cary Williams, meanwhile, isn’t worth his $8.2MM cap number in 2015 and could wind up getting cut.
Yesterday, our own Luke Adams looked at Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin as an extension candidate. Luke speculates that an annual salary in the $7-$8MM range on a five-year deal could be enough to get Maclin to sign.

La Canfora On Chiefs, 2011 Draftees, Smith

August 4th, 2014 at 10:59pm CST by Matt Feminis

In his latest edition of training camp notes, CBS’ Jason La Canfora provided an update on negotiations between the Chiefs and Alex Smith, saying talks “are ongoing, with the dialogue maintaining on a regular basis and the team looking for creative ways to secure him for the future, according to several sources. To this point, however, they haven’t been able to bridge a few gaps, but the Chiefs are willing to cut into their considerable cap space to strike a deal, and there are no plans to stop exchanging proposals.”

La Canfora adds talks have “remained cordial” and there is mutual desire to find common ground. Common ground would seem to be a “middle-tier” deal that would place Smith’s contract somewhere between the elite passers and the lower-paid, “bridge starters” group. From the team perspective, the Chiefs don’t want to overpay for Smith in the event a younger QB is ready to vie for the job, especially given Andy Reid‘s ability to develop quarterbacks.

More tidbits from La Canfora:

The Chiefs have revived talks with Justin Houston, who is also a priority. La Canfora does not expect a deal to get hammered out before the season, however, since the sides are far apart financially playing out the season could make the most sense for Houston.
La Canfora publicized first-year tight end Demetrius Harris as a “deep sleeper” and potentially “the next college basketball player to make the jump to tight end.”
Do not expect many more 2011 first-rounders to be extended for a while. This group includes Cam Newton, J.J. Watt, Robert Quinn, Cameron Jordan and Muhammad Wilkerson, among others. La Canfora quoted an agent for one prominent pass rusher, who said, “The money is going to be so high, these teams don’t really have an incentive to do it now. I’m not sure any of these guys get new deals this year. If there’s any movement going on I’m not aware of it.”
Some agents are outraged over the Cowboys’ eight-year extension to Tyron Smith because “he essentially gave the Cowboys two contracts for the price of one, locked up until age 32.” Those agents believe Jerry Jones might have used his “father figure” relationship with the young Smith to take advantage of him in negotiations.

Cowboys Notes: Smith, Bryant, Jones

July 30th, 2014 at 9:16pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier tonight, we learned that former Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent is set to meet with commissioner Roger Goodell next week. Here’s the latest on the Cowboys..

Some people are wondering what Tyron Smith was thinking in signing an eight-year, $98MM deal with the Cowboys, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “There’s no way you can do a deal that long,” a league source with extensive experience negotiating player contracts said. “I’m stunned. . . . 10 years is nuts.” He’ll have no power to get more money over the course of his deal, no matter how well he performs. And if he struggles, the only security he’ll have is the fully-guaranteed money that he received when committing himself to the Cowboys for the next decade.
Meanwhile, Smith released a statement through his reps at Costa Sports Marketing to explain why he signed the long-term extension. “Late last week, the Cowboys approached me with a deal I told my agents I wanted to sign. My agents explained the pros and cons of this deal versus one that may be shorter term and/or higher guarantee. After careful consideration, I decided this long term deal was exactly what I wanted. Over the past three years, the Cowboys organization and Jones Family have helped me through trying times and I felt this was my opportunity to return the gratitude. I am beyond grateful for the Cowboys staff, my teammates, and the fans, and wanted to ensure I was locked in as a ‘Cowboy for Life’. I want to thank everyone for their support and look forward to having a star on my helmet for the remainder of my career,” Smith said.
While the Cowboys and Dez Bryant don’t appear to be close on a new deal at the moment, that could change quickly if Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas agrees on a deal soon, writes David Moore of The Dallas Morning News. Thomas and Bryant are very close statistically and that will likely give both sides a common reference point.

Cowboys Sign Tyron Smith To Extension

July 30th, 2014 at 1:18pm CST by Luke Adams

1:18pm: According to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter and Todd Archer (Twitter link), Smith’s new contract includes a $10MM signing bonus and $40MM in overall guaranteed money. As is the case with any newly-reported deal, we’ll have to wait to see how much of that $40MM is fully guaranteed, or guaranteed for injury only.

1:02pm: The Cowboys have signed offensive tackle Tyron Smith to a contract extension, the team announced today, according to Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter). Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links) refers to the agreement as an eight-year “mega-extension,” adding that it’s worth $98MM. Taking into account the two years remaining on Smith’s current deal, the new pact will keep the standout left tackle under contract for the next 10 years, easily making him the only player in the league under contract through 2023.

Smith, 2011′s ninth overall pick, had his work on the outside of the Cowboys’ line recognized with a Pro Bowl nod last season for the first time, and his Pro Football Focus grades suggest he was worthy of that spot, with his performance placing him among the top five tackles in the NFL (subscription required).

It was the second time in three NFL seasons that PFF graded Smith as a top-five player at the position, though in his rookie season that ranking came at right tackle, rather than left. During his first year on the left side in 2012, Smith’s grades slipped a little, particularly as a pass-blocker, but his play in 2013, combined with his age (23) suggest we should expect to see the USC product continue to develop into one of the league’s elite offensive linemen.

The new mega-deal for Smith comes on the heels of Patrick Peterson‘s agreement with the Cardinals, and it’s hard not to connect the dots between the two, since Peterson became the first 2011 first-round pick to sign a contract extension with his club. Most 2011 first-rounders have struggled to gain traction in extension negotiations this year, since teams have already exercised 2015 options on the players they want to retain, reducing the players’ leverage so far from free agency. However, Peterson’s extension seems to have opened the door for other clubs to work out new contracts with their top 2011 draftees.

Taking into account his $2MM+ salary for 2014 and his $10MM+ salary for 2015, Smith should be eligible to earn a total of about $110MM over the next 10 years, assuming he plays out this contract. That works out to an average value of $11MM annually, with the eight new seasons averaging over $12MM per year. When I examined Smith as an extension candidate last month, I suggested that an annual value of $12MM+ seemed within range, adding that I wouldn’t be surprised if the Cowboys star surpassed Joe Thomas to become the NFL’s highest-paid tackle. Thomas’ $80.5MM contract averages $11.5MM annually.

With Smith locked up, the Cowboys figure to turn their attention to their other major extension candidate: Dez Bryant.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cowboys Rumors: Orton, Bryant, Smith

June 20th, 2014 at 4:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Following his absence from the team’s minicamp, Kyle Orton‘s ongoing standoff with the Cowboys will be one storyline out of Dallas to watch as training camp nears, but it won’t be the only notable subplot. Here’s the latest on Orton and a few other Cowboys-related items:

Although Orton wasn’t in attendance at this week’s practices, his agent, David Dunn, did make an appearance, according to Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com. Still, Dunn declined comment on his client, and there appears to have been no progress made between the two sides, per Watkins. The Cowboys want to continue having Orton back up starting quarterback Tony Romo this season, while Orton is leaning toward retirement.
Talks on new contracts for wide receiver Dez Bryant and offensive tackle Tyron Smith remain in the preliminary stages, tweets Watkins. Bryant is heading into the final year of his rookie deal, so his situation is a little more pressing than Smith’s, since the team exercised its 2015 option to keep its left tackle under contract for another season.
There’s no guarantee that the Cowboys’ roster when training camp gets underway will have the same 90 players that it does today, as head coach Jason Garrett suggests to Watkins that the club remains open to roster moves. “We’ll continue to make evaluations of individual guys, where they stack up, if they belong on the roster, who else is on the landscape and you’re always trying to do that,” Garrett said of his current squad.

Extension Candidate: Tyron Smith

June 11th, 2014 at 1:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Cowboys wideout Dez Bryant is entering the final year of his rookie deal and should be in line for a big-money, long-term extension in the coming months. However, while Bryant may be the shorter-term priority for Dallas due to his expiring contract, offensive tackle Tyron Smith may ultimately be the more crucial piece for the Cowboys to lock up.

Because Smith was a first-round pick in 2011, the Cowboys were able to exercise their fifth-year team option to keep him under contract through 2015, but the clock is still ticking for the club to work out an agreement that will keep the Pro Bowler in Dallas for several years beyond that. Although we’ll have to wait and see whether the Cowboys choose to address the situation this year, it’s worth examining what kind of deal it would take to keep Smith in the fold.

Smith, 2011’s ninth overall pick, had his work on the outside of the Cowboys’ line recognized with a Pro Bowl nod last season for the first time, and his Pro Football Focus grades suggest he was worthy of that spot, with his performance placing him among the top five tackles in the NFL (subscription required).

It was the second time in three NFL seasons that PFF graded Smith as a top-five player at the position, though in his rookie season that ranking came at right tackle, rather than left. During his first year on the left side in 2012, Smith’s grades slipped a little, particularly as a pass-blocker, but his play in 2013, combined with his age (23) suggest we should expect to see the USC product continue to develop into one of the league’s elite offensive linemen.

If we’re assuming Smith should perform like one of the NFL’s best tackles, it stands to reason that he should be paid like one as well. So it makes sense to compare his potential contract to the ones signed by players like Joe Thomas, Ryan Clady, Branden Albert, and Trent Williams. As Over the Cap’s data shows, the average annual salaries for those tackles range from $9.4MM to $11.5MM, with their overall guarantees coming in between $15MM and $28.5MM.

By the time he negotiates an extension, Smith could be in position to argue he deserves to be paid more than any other left tackle in the NFL. After all, the salary cap is on the rise — by the time Smith’s new deal starts in 2016, teams will have significantly more cap space to work with than they did when many of those previous pacts were signed. Additionally, Smith will be in his prime years during his next deal. When the 2016 season gets underway, he’ll still be just 25 years old, so even if the Cowboys lock him up for several years past that, the club shouldn’t have to anticipate a drop in production over the course of the contract.

So what sort of figures would be fair for Smith? A per-year salary of $12MM+ seems within reach, and a full guarantee that significantly exceeds $20MM also makes sense. The length of the deal figures to depend on whether Smith wants another chance to hit free agency by age 30, or if he wants to commit to the Cowboys for most of his playing career. If it’s the latter, Thomas’ $80.5MM contract with the Browns might provide a reasonable point of comparison. Thomas established new high water marks for tackles with an $11.5MM annual salary and $28.5MM in guaranteed money on his seven-year deal. Assuming Smith continues to cement his place as one of the NFL’s most effective linemen in 2014, it wouldn’t be a shock if he surpasses Thomas and establishes new baselines for tackles with his next contract.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.