Cowboys drama: Protecting Dak Prescott just got much tougher for Dallas

Trouble in Dallas: Cowboys star guard Zack Martin is reportedly considering not participating in training camp this year due to contract strife.

Forget about Tony Pollard’s long-term future. The Dallas Cowboys have a more pressing issue to deal with in recent news reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. According to Schefter, the Cowboys’ team captain and right guard Zack Martin may be preparing to hold out of training camp.

Martin, a 2014 first-rounder, has grown into one of the league’s most consistent and dominating guards, playing in 16 games or more in seven out of his nine seasons in Dallas.

The veteran offensive lineman believes he is “woefully underpaid” in comparison to the rest of the market and appears to be frustrated by the Cowboys’ lack of interest in restructuring his deal. In terms of overall value, Martin’s six-year, $84 million contract signed back in 2018 ranks second at his position just behind Falcons’ Chris Lindstrom.

However, his issue may arise from Dallas spreading his salary too thin, as he’s currently set to make roughly $7 million less compared to the league’s highest-paid guards.

Cowboys guard Zack Martin unhappy with contract, could stage holdout

The eight-time Pro Bowler and six-time All-Pro has been building a Hall-of-Fame career in Dallas, serving as one of the Cowboys’ most reliable blockers on the front lines. Even at age 32, Martin is coming off a bewilderingly productive campaign in which he was the only guard in the league to not allow any sacks while playing 700 or more snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

Back in his 2014, Martin finished second in Rookie of the Year voting. He lost to then-Giants star Odell Beckham Jr., but getting that kind of recognition as an offensive lineman was a crazy feat in itself.

Heading into a season of high expectations, the Cowboys can’t afford to see how this shaky Zack Martin situation plays out and may be wise to cave into his demands, or at least take a seat at the table and hear him out. Martin will be a free agent in 2025, but given his sparkling career in Dallas, both sides may be incentivized to hash out a deal that sees him stay a Cowboy forever.