Tyron Smith will be placed on IR, likely ending the end of the year and perhaps his Jets career

FLORHAM PARK, NJ – New York Jets left tackle Tyron Smith was placed on injured reserve Saturday, likely spelling the end of his season and possibly his illustrious career.

Smith, who turns 34 on Dec. 12, last played on Nov. 10 when he suffered a neck injury in a blowout loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Neither Smith nor the Jets have disclosed the exact nature of the injury, but it became clear in recent days that he was headed for injured reserve.

He is eligible to return for the final two games, but given the injury and the likelihood of the Jets (3-8) being eliminated, there is virtually no chance of that happening.

“There’s not enough improvement at this point, and it’s really obvious that we may have to do what’s best for Tyron,” interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said Wednesday, strongly hinting that Smith was destined for IR.

The former Dallas Cowboys star is one of the NFL’s most decorated offensive linemen – eight Pro Bowls and two first-team All-Pro selections. He was also named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All-2010 team. Without question, he is a strong candidate for the Hall of Fame.

Smith started the first 10 games for the Jets, protecting the blind side of future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers. According to Next Gen Stats, he didn’t quite play up to his standard, committing an unusually high number of penalties (six total, including three accepted) and allowing six sacks.

The Jets signed Smith to a one-year, $6.5 million contract, hoping he could overcome his recent spate of injuries and bolster the offensive line. They hedged their bet by picking Olu Fashanu in the first round, who will make his third straight start Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks at MetLife Stadium.

To keep Smith healthy, the Jets put him on a strict maintenance program that limited his practice time. It seemed to work as he played every snap in the first nine games. Then came the neck injury in week 10.

The injury will be costly for Smith, whose contract was loaded with playing time incentives. He could have made another $12 million if he had played in 98% of the snaps. He is currently assuming 64%, which would mean a bonus of $4.75 million.

The Cowboys selected him 9th overall in 2011 and he immediately became a starter. After 13 seasons, they let him walk as a free agent. Smith didn’t attract much interest on the open market, likely due to his injury history. He missed 37 games from 2020 to 2023. The Jets took a chance and assumed he would be a one-year solution and an upgrade over the previous left tackle, Mekhi Becton.

In training camp, Smith was asked how long he wanted to play.

“Honestly, as long as it takes,” he said. “I’ll keep going until I can’t walk anymore.”

To replace Smith, the Jets activated guard Xavier Newsman from injured reserve. They also signed running back Kene Nwangwu from the practice squad.