OXNARD, Cali. 鈥 A majority of the Cowboys' offseason and training camp attention has gone to the contract extension of Micah Parsons.
Parsons isn't the only extension candidate to keep an eye out for, though, as Tyler Smith could be next in line in a guard market that's only beginning to increase.
Smith, who has already been named to two Pro Bowls at just 24 years old, is under contract through the 2026 season since the Cowboys picked up his fifth-year option this season.
Evidently, Smith is a crucial young piece that the Cowboys would want to keep around, meaning an extension could be in line as early as training camp this season. Recent history with Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and now Micah Parsons has shown that deals can sometimes take some time to get done, but Smith isn't concerned with that and instead wants to continue to prove himself on the field.
"I can't really say it's been heavy on my mind," Smith said when asked if he was concerned about the process of getting an extension. "The only thing that we can handle is the work, ultimately we're going to play the Eagles week one, that's where my head is."
Kansas City Chiefs guard Trey Smith reset the market this offseason for guards, signing a four-year, $94 million extension making him the highest paid guard in the NFL. That's good for 23.5 million per year, and Smith was happy to see a friend of his get his bag.
"It was really cool knowing him personally," Smith said. "It was much deserved, just knowing the journey that he went through ultimately, not only to get to the NFL, but how great he's been as a player. I thought that was huge, for sure."
Does that mean he wants to get extension talks of his own started at training camp in Oxnard?
"That's not up to me," Smith said. "I can only control what I can control, and that's coming and working."
Smith now has plenty of time to focus on football as the Cowboys arrived in Oxnard today, where he'll hope to continue taking the next step in his career as the leader on the offensive line after the retirement of Zack Martin this offseason. As he takes that step, some of Martin's words of wisdom will remain with him as he takes the field.
"One thing he told me before he retired was to just always being an ascending player," Smtih said. "I take that as work to make yourself better each and every day, and ultimately, I want to not only do that, but work to make everybody around me better each and every day."
