The Dallas Cowboys are gearing up for the 2023 NFL season without an offensive pillar in right guard Zack Martin, who’s holding out in hopes of a new contract.
Don’t hold your breath on him getting a new deal anytime soon.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones expressed to the Dallas press corps Saturday that the franchise isn’t obligated to give Martin a new contract.
“Nothing,” Jones said when asked what needs to change for Martin to show up. “He’ll come to camp when he comes to camp. There’s no resolution. There are a lot of consequences if he doesn’t. … He’s been at the top of the money all the way through, drafted high and got a lot of money, got a lot of money over the years. It’s just hard to get it all. The bottom line is, nothing needs to happen.”
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Martin, 32, is entering his 10th season with the Cowboys, who selected him with the No. 16 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame. He has made eight Pro Bowl rosters and earned six All-Pro honors.
Martin, who’s due $13.5 million next season, is entering the fifth season of a six-year, $84 million deal ($14 million average annual salary) with the Cowboys, which puts him ninth in average annual salary among interior offensive linemen. Chris Lindstrom (five-year, $102.5 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons) and Quenton Nelson (four-year, $80 million deal with the Indianapolis Colts) are No. 1 and 2 at the position. Both signed their deals within the last year.
Jones also said the Cowboys need the money Martin seeks to pay the rest of their roster, including star linebacker Micah Parsons.
Other looming contract matters for Dallas include running back Tony Pollard, who’s playing on the $10.1 million franchise tag next season, center Tyler Biadasz and right tackle Terence Steele, and quarterback Dak Prescott, who has two seasons remaining on his four-year, $160 million deal.
The Cowboys are coming off a 12-5 season that ended at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional round. Their preseason opener is at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Aug. 12, with their regular-season opener coming on the road against the New York Giants on Sept. 10.
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