Cowboys Release LB Jaylon Smith With 5 Years and Over $50 Million Left on His Contract

The Cowboys surprisingly released linebacker Jaylon Smith on Tuesday night.  He still had 5 years and over $50 million left on his contract.  Dallas will only be on the hook for a little over $7 million of it.

In-season surprise: Cowboys released LB Jaylon Smith, per source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 6, 2021

Wow. Jaylon Smith had 5 years, $50.75M left on his contract.

His release leaves behind $16.6M of dead cap to the #Cowboys

2021: $9.8M ($7.2M cash)
2022: $6.8M https://t.co/rWEOHdkOS4

— Spotrac (@spotrac) October 6, 2021

The Cowboys reportedly made the surprising move to save money next season.  It's also being reported that they tried and failed to trade him prior to letting him go.

Imagine being on the Cowboys the last few years only to be let go when they get off to a 3-1 start.