Whenever the legendary Zack Martin finally decides to hang up his shoulder pads, he will be unquestionably be remembered as one of the greatest offensive lineman in NFL history. Martin’s been so good for so long with the Dallas Cowboys that he will likely walk into Canton in the future.
On Monday, the Cowboys gave star guard Zack Martin an $8.5 million overall raise. He will now make $18 million in each of the next two seasons. And it will likely go down as the most sensible move of the entire offseason.
Why?
After a contentious contract negotiation situation that saw Martin hold out from Dallas’s preseason activities, the Cowboys had a vested interest in giving their arguably best player what he deserves. Or, at the very least, they just saw how their backup guards “blocked” against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Not that the Cowboys should’ve needed this reminder, but their team and their aspirations for the Super Bowl just aren’t the same without a perennial All-Pro mashing bodies up front:
…Dallas got a good look at life with backup OGs
Picked up that phone pretty quick. pic.twitter.com/cU6BSpCruf
— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) August 14, 2023
Martin quickly reacted to the news of his raise:
Back to Work.
— Zack Martin (@thegob70) August 14, 2023
Since 2019, when the recent Cowboys offense really took off with Dak Prescott as the centerpiece, Martin has been indispensable to Dallas’s offensive exploits. According to ESPN Analytics, Dallas has averaged six yards per play with Martin on the field and has had a stellar 58 percent pass block win rate. Without Martin, those numbers drop to 4.9 yards per play and just a meager 42 percent pass block win rate.
Martin is also the definition of an ironman workhorse. Over the course of his entire nine-year career to this stage, the veteran has missed just 10 starts. He’s played in a full season’s slate of games seven times. That is remarkable at a position that takes as much punishment and energy as an interior offensive lineman.
Dallas made the right choice keeping Martin happy. It also had no other choice if it wanted to maintain status as an NFC heavyweight.
This was how Twitter reacted to Martin's raise
Every time Zack Martin comes up I reflect on the group of Cowboys fans in front of @FreeLarryDoby and I at the 2014 NFL Draft who were absolutely *despondent* when they drafted him instead of Johnny Manziel https://t.co/xsFRWihHCb
— actioncookbook (@actioncookbook) August 14, 2023
Might be wrong on this but I feel like the contract precedent aspect is overblown when it comes to situations like this. Generational players get treated differently. https://t.co/xvHregQKrn
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) August 14, 2023
Details will be key, but roughly in line with what we were thinking here: https://t.co/rvMZXwGo7C
Smart for both parties to resolve this, and I think a raise/guarantees over an extension made sense. Martin can now continue his Hall of Fame career https://t.co/VlxaYXD7wd pic.twitter.com/UVsALoKXGS
— Brad Spielberger, Esq. (@PFF_Brad) August 14, 2023
my headcanon says that Zack sent the Joneses 👀👀 emojis during the game on Saturday and I won't be told otherwise
but for real, an additional ~$4M per year for a Top 1-3 OG is a no-brainer for a team with $20M in cap space https://t.co/07N9qv6ZI7
— David Helman (@davidhelman_) August 14, 2023
Jerry Jones took a very hard stance against this very deal publicly, which is neither surprising nor the wrong thing, necessarily. It's all part of the negotiations. In the end, Zack Martin wins the battle, as he very well should. He's still underpaid. https://t.co/IHwAEK2Qcu
— Saad Yousuf (@SaadYousuf126) August 14, 2023
zack martin, no matter what he’s paid, will always be underpaid. good for him here, tho. https://t.co/T6xN7TIOfp
— mike taddow 🆓 (@MikeTaddow) August 14, 2023
He’s their best offensive player by a mile. This makes everyone else on that offense…Dak, Lamb, Pollard better. https://t.co/RSb6XDgPcE
— trey wingo (@wingoz) August 14, 2023
Common sense prevails and the standard-setter Zack Martin returns to Cowboys camp deservedly closer to the top of the guard market.
$18M/year thru 2024, fresh off a game where the lack of interior OL depth for Dallas was definitely noticeable. https://t.co/7nplHmrQHR
— Laurie Horesh 🏈 (@LaurieHoresh) August 14, 2023
Quality guards don’t grow on trees. GOAT guards like Martin don’t exist, right move by the cowboys to keep him happy and paid! https://t.co/QfLXT29Tbk
— Justin Pugh (@JustinPugh) August 14, 2023
