For football players, there aren’t many better situations than playing for the Dallas Cowboys. For 33-year-old All-Pro offensive lineman Zack Martin, the Cowboys are the only NFL team he’s known in his 10-year career. From the sound of it, the seven-time All-Pro doesn’t have any plans of playing for another franchise before calling it quits.
Martin has two years left on his contract, which includes a $15 million cap hit in 2024 and a $10.6 million cap hit in 2025. But from the sound of it, the Cowboys’ starting right guard has already been pondering retirement. According to Martin, it could even happen at the end of this season.
“I’m not saying 100 percent, but I think it’s definitely in the realm of possibilities. And that’s one thing I don’t want to do. For myself, I don’t want to be thinking, ‘Oh, this is it. This is it.’ I want to stay in the moment, and I want to play the best that I can play at this point and be the best right guard this team needs on a weekly basis. And then after the season, we’ll figure out what’s going on.”
Dallas Cowboys’ Zack Martin talking retirement
Martin’s contract alone provides reason to have doubts. If he’s set to make $15 million in 2024 but only $10.6 million in 2025, the Cowboys might need to provide a stronger financial incentive to get their right guard back for another season. Or maybe the lineman who’s started all 152 games is really ready to be done playing football for good.
The success of the Cowboys’ upcoming season could play a big factor in Martin’s decision too. But he’s far from the only one who’s in line to receive a bigger payday, as contract extensions with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb are expected to happen before the 2024 season kicks off.
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