Cowboys owner Jerry Jones dismisses idea of improving Zack Martin’s contract. What happens now?
Any hope that Zack Martin had of seeing his contract improved by the Dallas Cowboys just took a blow, after the franchise’s owner indicated it won’t happen.
With several high-profile players across the league holding out for what they hope will be better deals offered, the Cowboys’ guard is simply the latest to join the fight, however, it doesn’t look like he’s about to get his way.
Jerry Jones throws water on Zack Martin’s fire
Following his comments on Saturday during his team’s training camp session in Oxnard, California, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones doesn’t seem prepared to alter Zack Martin’s contract. Speaking with the media, Jones admitted that he’s unable to pay everyone on the team’s roster, before indicating that Martin’s deal would have to take a back seat with younger stars needing to be paid, such as Micah Parsons.
“It’s not about precedent. It’s about facts,” Jones said on Saturday. “We need the money to pay (Micah) Parsons. We need the money to pay the players that we got to pay in the future. It’s a fact. It’s not even a philosophy. It’s just a fact. Those dollars are there and we have this at this level, and if you redid all the contracts, then you never could put a roster together.” When asked if there was anything Martin could do, Jones’ response left little doubt. “Nothing. He’ll come to camp when he comes to camp,’’ Jones said. “There’s no resolution. There are a lot of consequences if he doesn’t. ...He’s been at the top of the money all the way through, drafted high and got a lot of money, got a lot of money over the years. It’s just hard to get it all. The bottom line is, nothing needs to happen.”
What’s Zack Martin’s contract situation?
Presently, Martin has two years left on his current deal and has a cap number of $11.04 million this year, which increases to $23.34 million in 2024. Now, it would be fair to say that Martin’s deal isn’t the most ideal in terms of cap space for the Cowboys, which is to say that his current standoff with the franchise as he hopes to push for a reworked contract only makes matters worse. To date, Martin has missed five days of practice to the tune of $250k in fines at a rate of $50,000 per day. His average annual salary is $14 million making him the fourth-highest-paid right guard in the NFL.
On the other hand, it’s got to be said that he’s most definitely worth it and then some. 2022 saw Martin earn yet another First Team All-Pro selection, the sixth of his career and eighth All-Pro selection in nine seasons (made All-Pro every season he’s played 11-plus games). Last season, the 32-year-old didn’t allow a single sack in 594 pass-blocking snaps as he gave up just two quarterback hits, 16 pressures and a 2.7% pressure rate. This is all to say that Martin is quite frankly one of the best guards in the league and a sure bet for a place in the Hall of Fame.
So, will Zack Martin get what he wants?
The reality is, probably not. While he’s most certainly justified in wanting a new deal, Jones isn’t lying about the idea that there are in fact other cups that must be filled. From Parsons to the newly extended Trevon Diggs, the money is being spread around. Then there is also the looming issue of quarterback Dak Prescott’s extension, which is ironic given that Prescott himself recently stated “pay the man” when speaking about Martin’s feud with the franchise. At this point we can only wait and watch.