One of the best to ever do it at his position and a first-ballot Hall of Famer has decided to walk off into the sunset.
Right guard Zack Martin, one of the stalwarts of the Dallas Cowboys, is retiring after 11 seasons in the NFL, according to NFL Media. He underwent his third surgery on his right ankle, which cut short his 2024 campaign after Week 11.
Martin, 34-years-of-age, met with owner, general manager and president Jerry Jones on Thursday to make him aware of his difficult decision, sources said.
Just to emphasize his level of greatness, Martin is a nine-time Pro Bowler, and his seven first-team All-Pro selections are tied for the most in NFL history among offensive guards with Hall of Famers Randall McDaniel and John Hannah. In fact, Martin had fewer career holding penalties (six) than he did first-team All-Pro nods.
However, the 2010s All-Decade Team member showed his age and wear and tear over his final three seasons with the star on his helmet. Martin’s Pro Football Focus offensive grades always hung in the 80s and they reached as high as 94.2 in 2021 at the age of 31. But over the past three years, they nosedived to 73.3 in 2022 and 70.5 in 2023 and are now down to 65.6 this season. Martin also gave up his single season career-high in sacks in each of the last two seasons, surrendering four in 2023 and five last year.
“It’s been a little bit of a struggle out there with this thing,” Martin said ahead of Week 12 about his ankle injury. “Everyone’s banged up in this locker room. We have plenty of guys in here, and everyone’s fighting through stuff. Yeah, it’s been something I’ve been dealing with and constantly getting worked on and trying to get it as healthy as I can Sunday to Sunday. It’s a frustrating deal, right? I’d love to go out there and finish the year and play at a high level. But right now, the important thing is trying to get healthy.”
Embed from Getty ImagesMartin scoffed at talks about hanging it up last summer during training camp and when his season ended. During a multitude of appearances prior to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, Martin said he wanted to get back to 100% before deciding on his future.
Martin restructured his deal last offseason, allowing the Cowboys to gain some much-needed salary cap relief if he chose to retire in 2025. The Cowboys can designate him a post-June 1 cut, which means he will count $9.4 million against the cap in 2025 and $17 million against the 2026 cap.
Psychologically, Martin finished his career deflated like a balloon. The 10 games he played this past season are tied for his fewest played in any season of his 11-year career after only taking the field for 10 contests in 2020.
Backup Brock Hoffman filled in admirably for Martin last season, but the Cowboys could look to April’s draft or free agency to fill Martin’s big shoes. Martin was one of the team’s most influential leaders, serving on the players’ council under coaches Jason Garrett and Mike McCarthy in his time.
But as for his next steps, those will be positive: induction into the Cowboys Ring of Honor and Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
