Zack Martin holds the longest contract among the Cowboys’ players now that Tyron Smith has left for New York.
Zack Martin was one year behind Travis Frederick and three years behind Tyron Smith as the new center of the offensive line when he signed with the Cowboys in 2014. He is currently the only member of that trio still alive in Dallas and has the longest contract of any player on the team. Thankfully, he remains one of the top guards in football at 33 years old, having played for ten seasons.
There are younger players on the team than Martin. That belongs to punter Bryan Anger, who joined the NFL in 2012 and will turn 36 in October. But Martin has been a mainstay since his debut and has seen a variety of managers and players come and go around him, whereas Anger only joined Dallas in 2021 as an experienced free agent. The difference in the longest stay between Martin and another 2014 draft pick, DeMarcus Lawrence, is actually rather little. Martin signed his rookie contract a few days before Lawrence did, in addition to being taken 18 positions ahead of Lawrence in that selection. Martin has technically been with Dallas longer, no matter how you cut it.
More importantly, Martin was an unexpected success, whereas Lawrence took some time to figure things out and overcome certain ailments. With the exception of 2020, when he missed six games due to injury, he has relished being named an All-Pro and Pro Bowler every year since his rookie year. With Tyron Smith missing numerous games since 2016, Martin has likely been the Cowboys’ finest player and gold standard for the majority of the last ten years.
Martin is highly respected by his teammates in the league. Last year, he was placed 68th overall in the NFL Top 100, making him the highest-ranked guard in the league. When the list was made public, even Chris Lindstrom of the Falcons, who is regarded as one of the greatest guards in the league, referred to Martin as “the best.”
Although the Cowboys have reaped more than enough benefits over the past ten years from adding a franchise staple like Martin, in 2024 he will scarcely be considered a luxury. Martin will be heavily relied upon to fix the offensive line, after both Tyron Smith and center Tyler Biadasz left as free agents. In addition to the anticipated improvement from Terence Steele, who is now even more injury-free, he will have support from rising sensation Tyler Smith. However, Martin must continue to be excellent for the Cowboys to remain competitive in 2024 with two new starters and the possibility that Smith will return to left tackle.
Fortunately, Martin hasn’t found greatness difficult, despite everything that has happened during the past ten years. Being on the wrong side of a play is shocking since it doesn’t happen very often, which is the best compliment an offensive lineman can receive. You can only image how many “booms” and replays Martin’s work would receive if John Madden were still with us today. As renowned as Larry Allen was, Martin has in Dallas really come very close to matching that caliber.
Hopefully, Zack Martin won’t have to be seen wearing the uniform of another team, unlike Tyron Smith. Compared to his former teammate, he is far more reliable, which undoubtedly contributes to his increased job stability. Martin might stay in Dallas for a while as a reliable starter even if he loses his top status. However, ideally that decline won’t begin until 2024, if at all. Martin must remain among the greatest in the industry if the Cowboys are to contend this season.
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