Heavy on Cowboys
Zack Martin has been one of the faces of the Dallas Cowboys franchise for more than a decade, but the star faces a difficult decision on his future. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell believes the Cowboys should “expect to move on from Zack Martin.”
There have been rumors that Martin may consider retirement this offseason. After 10 games, Martin’s year was cut short with a season-ending ankle injury. Barnwell’s ideal offseason plan for Dallas has the franchise replacing Martin, Brandin Cooks and Terence Steele.
“Allow Brandin Cooks to leave and expect to move on from Zack Martin and (potentially) Terence Steele,” Barnwell wrote in a December 12, 2024, story titled, “Offseason moves to fix the 49ers, Bengals, Cowboys and Jets.” “… The right side of the offensive line needs to be replaced, too. It’s unclear whether Martin will retire after battling an ankle injury in 2024.
“If the seven-time All-Pro guard wants to return, the Cowboys should bring him back, but they have to prepare for a world where he isn’t his usual self or isn’t on the field at all. They are usually content to target offensive linemen in the draft, so I expect their draft in this scenario will consist of defensive front seven players and offensive linemen.”
The Cowboys Would Take a $26.4 Million Dead Cap Hit by Releasing Zack Martin
Martin was previously on a six-year, $84 million contract that was slated to go through the 2024 season. The star agreed to restructure his deal which became a two-year, $36.8 million contract that runs through 2025.
If Martin does want to play again, it makes little sense for the Cowboys to release the veteran offensive lineman. Martin’s cap hit for 2025 is $10.6 million, but the dead cap penalty would be $26.4 million if the team cut the veteran, per Spotrac.
Cowboys Star Zack Martin on Retirement Rumors: ‘We’ll See What the Future Holds’
When asked about potentially retiring, Martin declined to go into detail about his future. It is worth noting that the nine-time Pro Bowler did not deny that retirement is a possibility in the coming months.
“This is not the time to have those discussions, and this is kind of all I’ll say about that,” Martin said on December 5, per DallasCowboys.com’s Patrik Walker. “It’s a tough situation and the most important thing on my mind is getting healthy, and then having those conversations down the road. First and foremost, I want to get healthy and maybe those conversations are a little bit easier.
“… We’ll see what the future holds.”
Cowboys to Consider the Future of High-Priced Star Players
Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones has been candid about the franchise’s need to examine the high price that the team is paying for several key players. Stars like Martin, Dak Prescott and Trevon Diggs saw their season cut short with injuries.
“I think that’s a balancing act that you always got to look at,” Jones told NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport on December 11. “Especially when your good, good players get hurt and are not on the field.
“It totally magnifies the issue if you lose guys like Dak, and Diggs misses games, Zack Martin misses games and it’s going to magnify something like that. You’re going to say ‘God, are we smart having this much money tied in to the top five to 10 players?’”
