Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones provided an update Monday on where things stand regarding star offensive guard Zack Martin, who has yet to report to training camp as he holds out for a new contract.
“Not really,” Jones said when asked if he was surprised the Cowboys hadn’t made any progress with Martin, per Jon Machota of The Athletic. “Surprised is really not the word there. It’s very costly. That’s just where we are. There are huge, significant ramifications happening here by anybody’s measure, financially. So , you realize that not having him here, it could happen [via injury] on the next play. You got to put that one on and say you just move on here without him. You say that sounds like a concern. No, I’m just trying to give you how you really have to look at it.”
Martin, 32, has two years remaining on a six-year, $84 million deal he signed with the Cowboys in 2018. With five years having passed since Martin put pen to paper, the six-time All-Pro has been leapfrogged by other guards in the league in total compensation. The top-paid guard heading into the 2023 season is Chris Lindstrom of the Atlanta Falcons. He signed a five-year, $102.5 million deal in March. Martin is making roughly $6.5 million less per season than Lindstrom.
Per NFL rules, players face a fine of $50,000 a day for absences during training camp. Thus far, Martin has amassed a $650,000 tab.
Jerry Jones comments on Zack Martin’s contract
Although Jones doesn’t seem inclined to cave to Martin’s holdout, he has some confidence that he will turn up to play once the season starts. If Martin does choose to skip games, the Jones said his contract is “highly punitive.”
“I don’t really want to get into a discussion about expectation because again, it’s not about Zack,” Jones said last week. “We have to have players adhere to agreements… The structure of the agreement is one where it would be very, very, very surprising if he didn’t play, it’s highly punitive.”
Jones added that the Cowboys need the money to pay standout edge rusher Micah Parsons and others in the future.
“It’s not about precedent, it’s about facts,” Jones said. “We need the money to pay [Micah] Parsons [in the future]. We need the money to pay the players that we got to pay in the future. That’s a fact.”
