As roll call waits one more day in Oxnard, Calif., all signs point to guard Zack Martin being absent as the Dallas Cowboys kick off training camp on Tuesday.
The Cowboys team charter from Dallas left Monday afternoon without Martin, who reportedly asked the team to address his contract. Players are not required to take the team charter flight and can instead arrange their own transportation to report on time Tuesday for the official start of camp.
Martin, 32, signed a six-year, $84 million extension in 2018, making him the league’s top-paid guard at the time.
Entering camp this week, his standing is significantly lower.
Atlanta Falcons guard Chris Lindstrom ($20.5 million) and Indianapolis Colts guard Quenton Nelson ($20M) are the top-paid players at the position based on average annual salary. Martin’s $14 million per-year average is ninth among guards.
The six-time All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowl selection was the No. 16 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Martin can be fined under NFL rules and would potentially forfeit more than $900,000 if he skips camp entirely. Often as contract disagreements are settled, such attendance-related fines are waived or negotiated out of the final salary figure.
–Field Level Media