The Dallas Cowboys Zack Martin and Kansas City Chiefs Chris Jones might not think to end their training camp holdouts following the ongoing contract issues with their respective teams. The Cowboys awarded their defensive back Trevon Diggs with a lucrative contract during the offseason and seemingly Zack’s contract was on the way, though it never happened.
The Atlanta Falcons’ move of giving a five-year, $105 million contract to Chris Lindstrom seemingly changed the market for guards in the league and the wave of elite players in the position has already surpassed Martin’s AAV. Being an important player to clear holes for Tony Pollard and providing pass-protection to Dak Prescott, the tension between Martin and Dallas might fall heavy on the team in the future.
NFL insider reports on Cowboys’ $84M star Zack Martin’s situation
NFL insider Ian Rapoport provided an update on Martin‘s situation during a recent appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show” episode amid the rumor of his potential holdout for a new deal ahead of the upcoming season. Rapoport said he doesn’t get the sense that the guard’s holdout is “close to a resolution.”
“I don’t get the sense we’re close to a resolution on any of them. It’s interesting because, like he’s like one of their favorite players. Like the Cowboys, coaches, executives, they all love Zack Martin. He has been the highest-paid guard for several years. But he looks at the market, feels he’s under-compensated, and is taking a really strong stance. I don’t sense any traction there.”
"I don't get the sense that we're close to a resolution with any of the players that are holding out" ~ @RapSheet #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/ojndD6jdTz
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 11, 2023
The veteran star earlier received the 99 Madden rating and became the first player in his position to achieve the feat since former Dallas star Larry Allen earned it back in 2003. Zack declared to hold out training camp on the same day with an aim to get paid according to his alleged worth.
Cowboys’ Zack Martin is the eighth-highest-paid OG in NFL
The Cowboys signed Martin a blockbuster six-year contract extension worth $84 million before the start of the 2018 season to keep him under their roof till the end of the 2024 NFL season, making him the highest-paid guard at that time. Though the deal was record-breaking then, he currently ranks the eight-highest-paid guard in the league by average annual value.
After heading to the NFL as 16th overall in the 2014 NFL draft, the 32-year-old earned eight Pro Bowl nods and six first-team All-Pro selections throughout his nine seasons. Despite arguably being the best guard in the league, he is earning $14 million while the top-ranked guard in terms of AAV Chris Lindstrom is making $20.5 million.
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