One of the best guards in NFL history is not reporting to camp. Dallas Cowboys’ guard Zack Martin is very unhappy with his current contract. This could be a situation worth monitoring for the future Hall of Fame lineman, who is not present for the beginning of training camp.
Cowboys’ six-time All-Pro guard and team captain Zack Martin, who has been unhappy about the team’s lack of interest in restructuring his contract, did not report for the start of training camp, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 25, 2023
This is something that we’ve seen for years; players not reporting to camp due to them being unhappy with their current contract. Most of the time, some type of resolution is made, and I would expect the same to happen with the Cowboys and Martin.
Dallas does seem to take care of their own for the most part. Martin, 32, has been an elite fixture along the Cowboys’ offensive line since 2014 when he was drafted. He’s made eight Pro Bowls and has earned six All-Pro nods. He was also named to the HOF All-2010s team as well.
He’s only missed nine games during his career and was, at one point, the highest paid guard in football. Well, as we all know, contracts get one-upped all the time in the NFL with the rise in the salary cap, so Martin’s current deal, which is worth $14 million per year, ranks fourth among right guards and eighth overall among all guards.
If nothing else, the Dallas Cowboys have usually always had a strong offensive line in their recent history, and I think it’s become part of their identity. They’ve had Martin as the best player on that OL for years, and without him in the lineup, this OL looks totally different.
According to overthecap.com, a restructure of Martin’s contract would save Dallas just $401k this year but does save them $8.5 million next year.
Overthecap.com also states that the Cowboys have the fourth-most cap space in the NFL currently with over $20 million. Honestly, I’m not sure why the Dallas Cowboys would not do something here.
Zack Martin is one of their all-time greatest players, a future Hall of Famer, and is right to be angry about his contract. He does deserve to be the highest paid iOL in football, or close to it. I would assume at some point, the two sides come together on a resolution for 2023.