As Cowboys training camp continues to get underway, one key piece of the offense is still away from the team. Veteran offensive lineman Zack Martin did not report to training camp this week as he is unhappy with his current contract situation.
In 2023, Martin is set to make a base salary of $1.7 million, which is tied for 35th among offensive guards alone in the league, and he is due to make $13 million in total cash, which is sixth most for his position.
While Martin is away, it doesn’t appear that a new deal is any closer to happening. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said the team can’t afford to give Martin a new deal if the team wants to pay other players in the future, namely Micah Parsons.
“It’s not about precedent, it’s about facts,” Jones said, via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “We need the money to pay (Micah) Parsons. We need the money to pay the players that we got to pay in the future. That’s a fact.”
Parsons, the 2021 AP Defensive Player of the Year and two-time Pro Bowler, is entering the third-year of his rookie contract and will most likely look for a new deal as early as next offseason. With 26.5 sacks total in the last two years, Parsons could ask to become the highest paid pass rusher in the league, a mark currently set at $141 million total for Khalil Mack and $28 million a year for T.J. Watt.
Martin, 32, would be on his third contract with a new deal, and Jones said the team continues to prioritize players signing their second deals in extensions.
“You make an adjustment like that, all of the sudden you don’t have the money to go pay the guys that are in their first contract that you need to pay,” Jones said, via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News.
For now, Martin has two years before reaching free agency, and it appears Dallas is willing to be patient with one of their core lineman’s contract demands.
