It seems that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is in no rush to end the ongoing contract dispute with team legend Zack Martin and get him into training camp.
NFL training camp is a fascinating time of year in the sport. There are so many varying storylines at team facilities around the league. Stars from the collegiate ranks are learning the ropes of the next level of the sport. Free agent acquisitions are trying to build chemistry with their new teammates. And others are fighting to hold onto roster spots for the new season.
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However, training camp is also the time when star players let it be known they are not happy with their current contracts and try to use this time of year to gain some leverage in contract negotiations. That is one of the big narratives right now at Dallas Cowboys training camp with star offensive lineman Zack Martin currently holding out of team activities due to dissatisfaction with his current pact.
The eight-time Pro Bowler is set to make just over $13 million in 2023, however, he wants to be compensated closer to the elites of the position since he believes he is exactly that. Unfortunately for him, the organization does not seem ready to acquiesce to his demands and is perfectly okay with penalizing one of their team captains $50,000 for each day of practice he misses.
Dallas Cowboys record (2022): 12-5
On Monday, owner Jerry Jones was asked about one of the best offensive linemen in team history not being at training camp, and the Cowboys boss confirmed the organization’s current stance with a pretty strong opinion on how concerned he is with Martin’s absence.
“You realize that not having him here, it could happen [via injury] on the next play,” Jones told the Dallas Morning News. “You got to put that one on and say, ‘You just move on here without him.’But you say, ‘Boy, that sounds concerning.’ I’m just trying to give you how you really have to look at it.”
Jones and the Dallas Cowboys seem to be taking a borderline “we don’t negotiate with terrorists” approach to the Martin contract dispute and both sides seem pretty dug into their positions at this point with no clear end in sight.