Cowboys All-Pro left guard Zack Martin was already going to consider retirement this offseason before an ankle injury required surgery that prematurely ended his 2024 season. Now, he’s waiting for his ankle to get healthy before making a decision about his future, per Clarence Hill Jr. of DLLS Sports.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, have had a busy offseason, promoting Brian Schottenheimer to head coach and hiring Klayton Adams to replace Schottenheimer as offensive coordinator.
When asked if the staff changes made him more interested in continuing his career, Martin replied, “a little bit,” indicating that he is willing to give the team’s new leadership a chance before retiring.
However, Martin’s desire to return to the NFL isn’t the only factor. The Cowboys are already projected to be over the 2025 salary cap, per OverTheCap, though they have a few options to clear cap space (chiefly, a Micah Parsons extension). Still, Martin commanded an $18.425MM APY on his last contract, and he has remained one of the league’s best guards when healthy.
After 11 years in Dallas, Martin does not seem to have any desire to find a new NFL team for the last few years of his career. If he really wants to retire a Cowboy, he may be willing to take a below-market deal to stay in his longtime home.
If Martin does retire in the coming months, the Cowboys would have to account for the remainder of his signing bonus prorations as dead cap hits. Last year’s restructure will allow them to designate him as a post-June 1 cut, resulting in a $9.4MM dead cap charge in 2025 with $17.01MM pushed back to 2026.