The Dallas Cowboys might enter the training camp without one of their best players being present. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Cowboys’ All-Pro guard Zack Martin is unhappy with his current contract and might not report to training camp.
Martin believes that he is “woefully underpaid relative to the market” and is considering a holdout because the Cowboys showed no interest in improving his contract.
Martin is considered one of the best, if not the best, guards in the NFL today. He has made the First Team All-Pro six times, including two past seasons, and has eight Pro Bowls on his resume. The 32-year-old player has also been quite durable, missing only six games in the last four years.
Despite his accomplishments, Martin is nowhere near the top paid guards in the league. He is set to earn around $13.3 million in 2023, which comes well below the earnings of the NFL’s highest-paid guards like Atlanta Falcons’ Chris Lindstrom ($20.5 million per year) and Indianapolis Colts’ Quenton Nelson ($20 million per year).
Martin currently has two years left on the seven-year, $93.41 million contract he signed back in 2018.
The Dallas Cowboys’ hesitance to rework Martin’s contract might have to do something with their efforts to lock several other important players on long-term deals this offseason. The franchise is reportedly looking to give extensions to Pro Bowler wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and Pro Bowler cornerback Trevon Diggs before the season starts.
