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Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff Writer
The New York Jets, who secured a top performer in a revamped offensive line, agreed to terms with former Dallas Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith on Friday night, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Smith will sign a one-year contract worth up to $20 million with incentives, sources said. Base values were not immediately available.
There will be a new line in front of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who returns from Achilles surgery. The Jets added three starters in five days: Smith, left guard John Simpson and right tackle Morgan Moses.
The Jets' offensive line was one of the worst in the NFL last season, ranking 28th with 64 sacks allowed. Their offense, ravaged by injuries and ineffectiveness, started 13 different combinations. The revamped line means the Jets won't have to draft a tackle with the No. 10 pick.
Adding Smith comes with risks. He is one of the most decorated linemen in the league, but there are also questions about his durability. He has missed 33 games over the past four seasons.
There is also an age factor. In Smith and Moses, the Jets have a 33-year-old bookend protecting a 40-year-old quarterback. But when healthy, Smith is an elite pass protector.
One of the best left tackles in the NFL for nearly a decade, Smith started 14 games in 2023 after adopting a weekly practice plan in which he primarily practiced offside that week, and since 2019. It became the highest number.
He missed three games last season, two with a knee injury and one with back inflammation, and hasn't played a full season since 2015.
Smith, who turns 34 in December, was named to the second team All-Pro after a season in which he posted an 89.1 percent pass block win rate and a 78.8 percent run block win rate.
He was selected to the Pro Bowl eight times and named All-Pro four times with the Cowboys. Smith, who played right tackle as a rookie in 2011, became the first offensive lineman to be drafted in the first round by the Cowboys since 1981.
His departure puts tackle at the top of the Cowboys' list of needs in the upcoming draft. They drafted Tyler Smith in the first round in 2022 with the idea that he would be the left tackle of the future, but he has played very well as a left guard and is in line for a Pro Bowl berth in 2023. Because of the acquisition, the team may keep him inside. .
The Cowboys have drafted tackles Josh Ball, Matt Waletzko and Asim Richards in recent years, but none seem ready to take over as a starter.
ESPN's Todd Archer contributed to this report.
