Cowboys All-Pro Guard Zack Martin May Not Attend Training Camp Because of Contract Negotiations
Cowboys All-Pro Guard Zack Martin May Not Attend Training Camp Because of Contract Negotiations.
This summer, the Dallas Cowboys may have to deal with a contract hold out.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Zack Martin, a six-time All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowl guard, is dissatisfied with his current salary and is considering skipping training camp as a result.
Martin, according to the person quoted by Schefter, considers himself “woefully underpaid relative to the market.”
After renegotiating his contract with the Cowboys in March, Martin’s $12 million salary for this year will be counted against the salary cap. His contract runs through 2024, albeit the final two years are empty.
As Martin points out, he earns less than seven other guards and $6.5 million less than the highest-paid guard, Chris Lindstrom of the Atlanta Falcons, who received a mammoth deal for $20.5 million per year in March, for an AAV of $14 million.
Martin is without question the NFL’s most accomplished guard currently in the league. He has been chosen for first team All-Pro twice as often as Quenton Nelson of the Indianapolis Colts, who is second among guards with three choices since 2014.
The Jacksonville Jaguars’ Brandon Scherff is second in Pro Bowl appearances, but Martin has three more. Martin’s AAV is lower than those of Nelson and Scherff.
Since Dallas selected Martin with the No. 16 pick in 2014, he has been the most consistent member of the Cowboys’ offensive line.
After allowing only three sacks this past season, Martin was rated the top interior offensive lineman in a recent ESPN survey of NFL executives, coaches, and scouts. He has missed a total of eight games in his career (two in 2018 and six in 2020).
With Martin on the line, the Cowboys have had a rushing offence that ranked in the top 10 in seven of the last nine seasons.
And on the day news of his prospective holdout broke, “Madden 24” rated Martin a perfect 99, something the guard certainly didn’t overlook.
Martin’s deal could become a problem for Dallas, but it isn’t the only one that needs extending.
Since the team and running back Tony Pollard were unable to come to terms on a long-term contract, Pollard will play the 2023 season under the franchise tag and his status with the organisation will be addressed in the offseason.
Also up for contract renewal this year are star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and star cornerback Trevon Diggs. Diggs, a second-round pick, is set to become a free agent while Lamb has a guaranteed fifth-year option for 2024.
The return of Lamb and Diggs would be welcomed by Cowboys exec v.p. Stephen Jones, who remarked in April that the team would “love” to have the two players back.
The Cowboys will have to find the answers to many pressing issues this year.
