In case you somehow missed it, longtime Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith entered free agency for the first time in his career earlier this month. After some time with little news regarding his market, Smith signed an incentive-laden deal with the New York Jets. Soon after, he penned a heartfelt goodbye letter to the organization he had called home for 13 seasons.

Since officially joining the Jets organization, Smith has been effusive in his praise for his new team and the level of excitement he has for the Jets. That’s not out of the ordinary for any player that signs with a new team, but Smith did make a comment that’s raising a few eyebrows in Dallas. During a recent interview session with New York media, Smith made specific reference to the role the Cowboys played in his free agency decision.

For starters, it’s a bit of a revelation that Smith considered himself to be choosing between the Jets or returning to the Cowboys. It had been reported at the NFL Combine that Smith intended to leave via free agency after meeting with the Cowboys brass, but little had surfaced once free agency actually began to suggest that Smith was even considering any offer to stay.

Beyond that, though, is the vague comment about “the way things were looking in Dallas.” Smith didn’t expand on what exactly he meant by that, but it was clearly enough to make him anticipate a move to the Big Apple.

One possible interpretation is that Smith did not like the short-term outlook of the Cowboys. The organization has come under fire for their approach to this offseason thus far, whether it was forcing Mike McCarthy to coach into the final year of his contract (while also signing Mike Zimmer to a one-year deal) or refusing to be proactive on extensions for the likes of Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons. Smith cited the Jets’ Super Bowl aspirations when signing with the team.

“I saw that, what they [the Jets] can do as far as the team, and everyone wants to win as any team does,” Smith said Thursday, per the team’s Twitter account. “I just feel like they have all the pieces together right now with the final pieces this offseason to produce a team that could go all the way. I played against Aaron [Rodgers] throughout my career a couple times [in the postseason]. I know what kind of quarterback he is. I know what he can do if you just give him a little bit of time. I’m just here to do my best to give him that time.”

Tyron Smith, #Jets left tackle: Says it came down to the Jets and #Cowboys: “And for the way things were looking in Dallas, I knew it was most likely going to be the Jets. Honestly, I got excited for a new chapter in my life.” Says his first time as a free agent was “stressful.” pic.twitter.com/cE37gchtum

— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) March 21, 2024

But there is another interpretation of Smith’s comments, and it’s one that applies to almost all free agent moves in the NFL. It is the Occam’s razor explanation – money. The Cowboys simply weren’t willing to offer the left tackle what he was looking for. The Jets signed Smith to a one-year deal worth up to $20 million, with $6.5 million of that guaranteed, and an additional $5.75 million worth of incentives that fall under the Likely to be Earned category. In other words, Smith has a cap hit of $12.25 million this season for the Jets, which would seemingly be out of the Cowboys’ current price range.

Regardless of what Smith actually meant here, the future Hall of Famer is no longer a Cowboy. It sounds as if Smith had been keeping the door open for a potential return, but for one reason or another that never materialized.