The Dallas Cowboys have watched two of the best players in franchise history retire this offseason in Zack Martin and Tyron Smith. It marked the end of another golden generation of Dallas offensive lineman, and it's hard not to wonder who might join them in retirement.
Fortunately, the Cowboys' core isn't going anywhere anytime soon. In terms of average age, they are the 10th-youngest team in the NFL. That can be attributed to some of the players Dallas has moved on from in recent years.
Jayron Kearse springs to mind in that regard. The former star safety still does not have a job as the league gets ready to start training camp.
Former Cowboys star Jayron Kearse could be forced into early retirement
While Kearse began showing his age for the Cowboys in the 2023 season, he's still only 31 years old. Have players retired earlier than that? Yes, but there are also plenty of players in the league today who are north of 30 and are still playing at a high level.
What makes Kearse such an interesting case is that he didn't play at all in 2024. The Cowboys confirmed Kearse's fate when they extended Donovan Wilson and Malik Hooker during the 2023 offseason, but Kearse has not announced his retirement. He is still an active player in the NFL.
Kearse is one of Dallas' best free agent signings in recent memory. A former seventh-round pick of the Vikings in 2016, Kearse blossomed into a stud under Dan Quinn in his first season with the Cowboys in 2021. He started a career-high 15 games and accumulated 101 tackles, 10 passes defended, nine tackles for loss, 30 defensive stops and just three missed tackles.
Kearse was rock-solid again in 2022, but he regressed the following season, posting career lows in PFF coverage grade (40.9), missed tackles (eight), passer rating allowed when targeted (102.3) and completion rate allowed when targeted (82.9 percent), per PFF.
There is no sugarcoating those stats, but it is still a bit surprising that Kearse couldn't even land a training camp invite or sign with a practice squad. It's less shocking this time around, but perhaps his 2023 display was enough to convince the league that he's done.