Zack Martin talks possible retirement as he enters his 11th NFL season
The Dallas Cowboys made it a mission to fix their offensive line this offseason after the departures of left tackle Tyron Smith and center Tyler Biadasz. They loaded up in the NFL draft by taking left tackle Tyler Guyton in the first round, center Cooper Beebe in the third, and tackle/guard Nathan Thomas in the seventh. Yes, it was to get the Cowboys prepared for the present, but also the future.
Right guard Zack Martin is entering his 11th season with the Cowboys. He’s been the model of consistency with nine All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections. However, all good things come to an end at some point, especially in the NFL, where the average career is around four years. So, Martin’s journey reaching it’s climax is certainly nearing, and it’s something he discussed recently as the Cowboys are going through their minicamp.
“I’m not saying 100%, but I think it’s definitely in the realm of possibilities,” Martin said. “And that’s one thing I don’t want to do. For myself, I don’t want to be thinking, ‘Oh, this is it. This is it.’ I want to stay in the moment, and I want to play the best that I can play at this point and be the best right guard this team needs on a weekly basis. And then fter the season, we’ll figure out what’s going on.”
Well, that’s certainly a statement.
Martin has garnered nine All-Pro nods and nine Pro Bowl selections in his first 10 seasons, and the only reason it hasn’t been a clean sweep was due to a calf injury in 2020. He’s extremely disciplined in the trenches as he has only been flagged 21 times, and that comes from having elite technique. Having played this long comes with a lot of wear and tear on the body, though, and Martin has logged nearly 10,000 snaps.
Despite another productive season in 2023, Martin feels he might have not played up to his usual standard of dominance. So, he’s spent time with offensive line guru Duke Manyweather to work in his game this offseason and further perfect his craft which is something he did last year as well when the Cowboys were in training camp.
“I don’t think I played honestly up to my standard last year, really,” said Martin. “That’s another reason why I want to finish this year strong is I think I can play at a high level still. I think I may have come up a little bit short last year. I’ve got a little chip on my shoulder to get back to that consistent, kind of dominant player that I’ve been.”
Martin has set a standard at guard in Dallas that can only be rivaled by Hall of Famer Larry Allen, who passed away earlier this week. It’s never easy to think about a player of Martin’s caliber retiring, but he’s played in the league for over a decade, so these types of conversations will occur until that time comes.