NEWSLETTER
The Dallas Cowboys have a problem on their hands with the start of training camp less than a week away. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, All-Pro guard Zack Martin is considering not reporting to training camp next week due to being unhappy with his contract and the team’s lack of interest in restructuring it. Martin believes he is “woefully underpaid relative to the market,” per Schefter.
According to a Schefter, Zack Martin, who signed a six-year contract extension with the Cowboys in 2018, feels he is being paid less than the market offers. According to just about any metric out there, he’s not wrong. Martin is the best guard in the NFL, yet he’s being paid well below the top tier at the position.
Martin is the ninth-highest-paid guard in 2023, per Spotrac. After signing a massive extension this offseason, Falcons guard Chris Lindstrom leads the pack with a $20.5 million AAV. The Indianapolis Colts have two guards that make more than Martin on their roster. Quenton Nelson has an AAV of $20 million, while Braden Smith checks in right behind Nelson at $17.5 million AAV.
Martin is set to earn $13.5 million this year and has a non-guaranteed base salary of $13 million for the 2024 season. The source stated that Martin is considering a holdout during training camp because the team is not willing to renegotiate his contract. Despite being fined for not showing up with the team, Martin is reportedly still considering this course of action. This will be Martin’s 10th season with the team.
Last season marked a sixth first-team All-Pro nod for Martin. He gave up three sacks on a 96% pass block win rate, the eighth-best clip in the league. His 73.8% run block win rate was also impressive.
The Cowboys have been open to working on contract extensions for CeeDee Lamb, Trevon Diggs, and Terence Steele. Jerry Jones has discussed restructuring Dak Prescott’s contract. The Cowboys also failed to reach an extension with running back Tony Pollard, who is playing on the franchise tag, before Monday’s deadline to do so. And now Dallas has one more contractual issue before camp with Zack Martin being unhappy with his deal.
