After Zack Martin announced his retirement in March, the Dallas Cowboys said goodbye to another all-time great this week when Tyron Smith signed a one-year contract to retire with the organization.
Pay no mind to Smith’s one-year contract. The eight-time Pro Bowler will be placed on the reserve/retired list in due time. He will not play for the Cowboys in 2025.
The team held Smith’s retirement press conference on Wednesday.
Among the highlights were Smith describing his favorite memory in a Dallas uniform and Jerry Jones confirming that Smith and Zack Martin will go into the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor. Jones did not reveal when Smith and Martin will be inducted, but the timeline may align with when they are voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Perhaps the most notable thing Smith did on Wednesday, was go out of his way to share his adoration for Dak Prescott. Smith called Prescott “one of the best teammates I ever had” and that he’ll “always be QB1 to me.”
Cowboys’ Tyron Smith called Dak Prescott his QB1 over Tony Romo
Who’s cutting onions in here?! The only thing missing was the cameras cutting to Prescott. The waterworks would have been flowing if that happened, but we digress.
By all accounts, Smith doesn’t have a bad bone in his body. Opposing defensive linemen and linebackers would disagree, but Smith is a gentle giant. It’s highly doubtful he intended to shade Tony Romo, but it is noteworthy that Smith views Prescott as his QB1.
Tyron Smith took a moment during his retirement press conference to acknowledge Dak Prescott specifically:
“I also want to recognize Dak Prescott.”
“One of the best teammates I ever had. Dak cares deeply about everyone in the locker room, and he’s more than a teammate. He’s a… pic.twitter.com/xKFKUC9It5
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) April 16, 2025
After all, Romo was Smith’s first QB1 in the league after he was drafted. The former No. 9 overall pick played right tackle as a rookie in 2011. By that point, Romo was a three-time Pro Bowler and had a reputation as a magician in the NFL for how he navigated pressure.
Smith and Romo were teammates for five seasons (2011-15) before Prescott supplanted Romo as the starter in 2016 while Romo was injured. Prescott and Smith were teammates for eight seasons before Smith signed with the Jets as a free agent last offseason.
Romo wasn’t viewed as a bad teammate by any stretch of the imagination. However, Smith’s comments suggest Romo didn’t compare to Prescott as far as leadership and building connections in the locker room. That may explain why Smith holds Dak in such a high regard.
That isn’t to say Smith and Romo butted heads as teammates or that he isn’t close with the former QB, but Prescott clearly makes that extra effort to bond. You can’t name a current or former Cowboy that has anything bad to say about Prescott. He’s better equipped than most, if not all QBs, to handle the scrutiny that comes with being the Cowboys’ QB1.
No, Smith did not throw dirt on Romo. It just speaks volumes that Smith singled out Prescott in a speech that did not include many shout outs to former teammates.