OnOff
FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys’ Middle Linebacker Jaylon Smith agreed to a five-year contract extension worth $64 million, with $35.5 million guaranteed. The quarterback of the defense is locked in with his dream team for many years to come.
Following Smith’s tear to both his ACL and LCL in the Fiesta Bowl, the Cowboys’ took a chance and selected him in the second round with the 34th overall selection in the 2016 NFL Draft, in the hopes that his knee would rejuvenate. The team’s risk has been rewarded.
Fast-forward and entering his fourth season in the league, Smith is fully healthy and playing at a pro bowl level. He had a breakout year in 2018 with a career-high 150 stops, and has constantly been around the football throughout the offseason making plays. He is certainly what Jason Garrett likes to call a “success story.”
“ Jaylon is a player for the future who has never complained or said ‘whoa is me,’ “ Jerry Jones said through tears at the press conference on Tuesday following the announcement. “ He has never wavered, never quit, never missed a practice…His story is one I would have done anything to become a Dallas Cowboys’ story.”
Now, he will continue to be one for several years. Smith has one of the greatest leadership roles on the team at Mike-Backer, calling plays/audibles at the inception of a play after accessing the opposing offense. His change in perspective and perseverance through adversity has no doubt helped prepare him for his current role with the Cowboys. He is a businessman and has treated the past several years as part of a business venture, wanting to pay back the Cowboys’ organization for the investment they made on him. He certainly has with his…. yes you guessed it, “Clear Eye View!”
