Tag: Zack Martin

Cowboys reportedly ‘dug in’ on Zack Martin contract holdout

Zack Martin’s holdout continues and according to one prominent Cowboys insider, the Cowboys are dug in on their position in negotiations. | From @ReidDHanson

“Dug in” is a phrase no one wants to hear during a negotiation. In fact, such a phrase indicates the absence of negotiation and end of discussion. In this case it indicates the Cowboys are no longer at the table with their All-Pro holdout, Zack Martin.

Martin, 32, was a surprise holdout for the Cowboys this summer. Presumably preoccupied with the pending contracts of Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Trevon Diggs (since has been completed), Malik Hooker (since has been completed), and more, Dallas likely wasn’t giving their top linemen the attention he felt he deserved.

As arguably the best guard in the NFL, Martin certainly has a valid argument as to why he deserves a raise. With an average yearly salary of $14 million, Martin is now just the eighth highest paid guard in the league. His deal voids in 2025, making his long-term future somewhat undetermined.

Showing no signs of slowing down, Martin is a player the Cowboys can feel fairly good about extending. His cap cost in 2024 balloons to a $23,340,000 figure so it stands to reason the Cowboys would be wise to offer an extension. Adding time can spread the cap cost and make his annual hit more digestible.  Yet, the two sides are at odds at the moment and resolution does not appear within sight.

Cowboys insider Bryan Broaddus recently spoke of the Zack Martin situation on his Love of the Star podcast and stated, “They are dug in. They are really dug in,” when discussing the conversations he’s had regarding the Cowboys’ current stance towards Martin.

When Martin signed his six-year, $84 million extension in 2018 it made him the highest paid guard in the NFL. As is the nature of all positions not named running back, the market has grown, and Martin’s once market-setting contract is now just inside the top-10.

At a rate of $50,000 in fines per day, Martin has accumulated over $600,000 in penalties this summer. Financially, things are moving in the wrong direction for Martin.

Things aren’t sunshine and rainbows for the Cowboys either. Their offensive line depth has been underwhelming this summer. Young options like Matt Waletzko, Josh Ball and Chuma Odoga have been disappointing in many ways and don’t appear to be viable alternatives for Martin.

Matt Farniok, Martin’s expected replacement at RG, has been adequate but the disparity between the two players is understandably significant.

The Cowboys are likely playing hardball at the moment because they can. They can recoup up to $9,340,000 of his signing bonus proration in addition to the mounting daily fines. They also know Martin is the type of player who can hit the ground running, meaning they aren’t worried about his play slipping because of a holdout.

The Cowboys are dug in at the moment but it’s not hard to see a win-win solution in the future. Turning 2025 from a void year to a guaranteed year could put more money in Martin’s pocket and ease the cap charge for Dallas in 2024.

Whatever the solution, the Cowboys are a much better team with Martin on the field, making him an important piece for their win-now season.

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‘Zero concerns’: McCarthy not worried about Cowboys RG Zack Martin’s readiness

From @ToddBrock24f7: The 8x-Pro Bowler’s absence is now in its 10th day, despite texting his linemates, “Y’all set the tone, I’ll be there soon.”

The Cowboys have been in Oxnard for just over a week. Thursday’s practice- the longest yet of this year’s training camp- was to be the team’s third session with pads and an important building block in the foundation that the team is trying to lay with a new offensive play-caller, several new members of the coaching staff, and new players up and down the roster.

But despite the cornerstone of the offensive line entering the 10th day of his contract holdout, head coach Mike McCarthy maintains he’s not worried about Zack Martin’s absence.

“I have zero concerns about Zack,” McCarthy told reporters during a press conference Thursday. “Everything that we’re doing here now, Zack already has. Zack will be just fine.”

The six-time first-team All-Pro has elected not to join the team in Oxnard as of yet, unhappy with where he sits on the pay scale relative to the other top offensive guards around the league.

The 32-year-old is staying busy and keeping himself in shape, though. A video shared recently on social media by OL Masterminds shows Martin working out with the organization’s Duke Manyweather in Texas.

And second-year lineman Tyler Smith revealed to media members that Martin is in regular contact with his linemates via text. His message to the group?

“Y’all set the tone, I’ll be there soon.”

Mike Solari, the veteran offensive line coach entering his first year in that role for the Cowboys would certainly prefer to have Martin in his usual spot, but he’s making the best of the situation by giving younger players valuable practice reps.

“We want Zack here, but it’s part of the business,” Solari said per the team website. “It gives another man an opportunity to get reps in practice and develop. They’re all competing and working hard. The best five will start, and they’ll define that role. It’s a good group.”

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Josh Ball, the 2021 fourth-round draft pick, and Matt Farniok, a seventh-rounder from that same rookie class, have seen time at right guard in place of Martin. And while their continued development at camp is a good thing, no one- especially quarterback Dak Prescott- wants either of them to have to line up on Sept. 10 when the Cowboys face the Giants to open the regular season.

Like McCarthy, Prescott should have no real concerns about Martin being ready for Week 1 whenever he and the front office settle their staring contest.

But No. 4 was succinct when he was asked about getting his most valuable protector back in the huddle.

“Pay the man.”

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7 Cowboys in NFL 100 list, where will Micah Parsons land?

Numbers 100 through 21 have been revealed and the only question left is where the Cowboys’ best player will end up. A look at the seven members and how they earned their rankings. | From @KDDrummondNFL

Last December, seven different Cowboys were named to the 2023 Pro Bowl, based on their performance during the season. Dallas marched to a second consecutive 12-win campaign and to do so meant that there was plenty of individual talent leading the way on the team effort. As the Pro Bowl is a mixture of fan, player and coaches vote, it’s no surprise the NFL 100 list comprised of player opinions, would somewhat mirror the Pro Bowl.

The only question is where players would land within the ranking and if there would be any surprises. Not surprisingly, kick returner Kavontae Turpin did not carry his Pro Bowl nomination over to the top 100. Turpin didn’t do much else last season, as he missed the installation portion of the offseason and wasn’t much of a contributor on offense. He was replaced though, as Dallas still managed to get seven players in the list, and now that No.s 100 through 21 have been revealed, the last remaining question is how high will edge rusher Micah Parsons land.

The NFL’s 12 best interior offensive linemen

From Wyatt Teller to Jason Kelce, here are the 12 best interior offensive linemen in the NFL today.

Of all the players who factor heavily into a football team’s success, guards and centers are often the most overlooked. Unless you’re working with advanced metrics, there are no statistics to speak of, and unless you have access to overhead and (especially) end zone footage, it’s hard to discern what these guys are doing that is so important.

But those in the know, know better. Centers control the entire offense — they make protection calls, they align with their quarterbacks both intellectually and literally on every snap, and they have to take the brunt of the opponent’s decisions to point one or more large angry men in their exact directions.

Guards are often the athletes of their offensive lines as much as tackles are — it’s just a different kind of athleticism. Whether on the left or right side, these big guys had better be able to execute inside and outside zone, man-based snaps in which it’s mano a mano, and all kinds of combinations in which it’s important to coordinate with others.

So, in the spirit of giving these fine gentlemen more play in the court of public opinion. we continue our position lists for the 2023 season with the 12 best interior offensive linemen in the NFL today.

In a recent version of “The Xs and Os” with Greg Cosell, Greg (of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup) and Doug Farrar (of Touchdown Wire) got into the attributes for guards and centers at the elite level.

Centers:

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Guards:

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In addition to this list, you can read all of our position rankings for the 2023 NFL season, on the way to our late August list of the 101 best players in the league today.

The NFL’s top 11 offensive tackles
The NFL’s top 11 interior defensive linemen
The NFL’s top 11 edge defenders
The NFL’s top 11 linebackers
The NFL’s top 11 slot defenders
The NFL’s top 11 cornerbacks
The NFL’s top 11 safeties

And now, the 12 best interior offensive linemen in the NFL today.

(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions unless otherwise indicated). 

ChatGPT ranks top 10 offensive linemen in Notre Dame history

How many of these players do you remember?

Talk to any back who’s had a great football game, and they almost always will give credit to their offensive linemen. Those are the guys who make every explosive offensive play possible. They will do whatever it takes to hold off the attacking defense. They seldom get any glory compared to those backs and receivers, but no offense can function without them.

While every college football blocker is good, some are just so much better than others. So in light of that, we’ve asked AI writing tool ChatGPT to list what it believes are the 10 best to ever block for Notre Dame offenses. It doesn’t matter which position they played. They just have to have excelled at whatever it was.

This concludes us putting ChatGPT to work ranking Notre Dame players by offensive position. We’ve already ranked ChatGPT’s 10 best quarterbacks, running backs, receivers and tight ends. Now, we look at the offense’s unsung heroes. Here they are with the entries edited for accuracy:

Officially AWOL: Zack Martin misses deadline to report to Cowboys camp

The club’s best offensive player is not in attendance as the team starts to prepare for the new season. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The decision has been made. Right guard Zack Martin, unhappy with his current contract, is not in attendance at the onset of training camp. The Dallas Cowboys flew to Oxnard, CA on Monday, but players are not required to be on the team charter. They are required to report by Tuesday and Martin, who hinted a holdout could be coming, did not arrive.

As Jerry Jones and the front office host the opening press conference, they were asked about the six-time All-Pro, eight-time Pro Bowler’s absence. Jones sidestepped the question, intimating he’s not overly concerned.

Jones didn’t leave it at that, however, making it clear that they expect a resolution to the situation.

Martin is set to enter the fifth year of a six-year extension signed in 2014. His average salary of $14 million barely lands him inside the top 10 of interior line play, despite being a clear-cut Hall of Famer and being considered the best at his position.

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Updates on 4 key Cowboys as training camp nears kickoff

A look at the four-headed monster of participation concerns as the Cowboys embark on a journey out west. Included, why Tony Pollard is different from other tagged RBs. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys are preparing to board a plane to Oxnard, CA so that they can get the ship going in the right direction. On Monday, the club will travel in advance of Wednesday’s start to training camp practice. While things seemed relatively smooth heading into July, things have been shaken up a bit by contract situations that are not ideal for the players in question.

Also, the team has a small number of injury concerns that may or may not impact eligibility to be full participants once the on-field work begins. Check below on the latest updates from ESPN’s Todd Archer on Zack Martin, Jourdan Lewis, Terence Steele and Tony Pollard.

If Zack Martin holds out, who replaces him as the Cowboys RG?

The Cowboys have a handful of options should Zack Martin holdout, but none of them are optimal and a need for replacement is unlikely. | From @ReidDHanson

Because no Cowboys summer is complete without a little pre-training camp drama, Zack Martin made headlines, announcing his displeasure with his current contract and is considering not reporting to camp later this month.

Martin, an eight-time Pro Bowler, six-time All Pro, and recent recipient of the elusive 99 rating on Madden Football, is set to count $11,040,000 million against the cap in 2023.

Playing on deal running through 2024, the 33-year-old seeks a new commitment from the Cowboys more in line with current market values.

According to Adam Schefter, the Cowboys haven’t been eager to rework Martin’s contract this summer and his threat of a holdout is designed to add urgency to the situation. With career earnings at nearly $75 million (per OTC), Martin is in a financial position to play hardball if Dallas won’t budge. It’s a situation the Cowboys will need to address.

If Martin holds out, the Cowboys’ already-unsettled situation on their offensive line becomes all the more unsettled. Dallas has been auditioning for starting LG this offseason. Subtracting Martin from the equation means the Cowboys now need to find two, not one, capable guards in Oxnard.

Former Notre Dame star considering not reporting to NFL camp due to contract

It makes plenty of sense why he would do this

We all believed that former [autotag]Notre Dame[/autotag] guard [autotag]Zack Martin[/autotag] would have plenty of success in the NFL after his Irish career was over.

That’s exactly what has happened, Martin being named to the Pro Bowl 8-times, being named to the NFL’s 2010’s All-Decade team and being a first-team All-Pro six times as a member of the Dallas Cowboys.

With that resume, you’d expect that Martin was one of the highest paid at his position, but that isn’t the case. According to a report by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Martin is “considering not reporting to training camp due to his unhappiness with his contract and the team’s lack of interest in restructuring it.”

It seems as if the Cowboys have put other players ahead of Martin on their list to either extend or have their contract reworked. Schefter notes that the guard is making about $7 million less than the NFL’s top-paid guards.

It’s an interesting development and one where Martin has every right to ask to be paid more, especially considering the caliber of player he is.

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NFL: Madden ’24 exclusive ’99 Club’

Who from Notre Dame would be your all-time 99?

It’s that time of year again as we count down to football starting up.  Training camp for college and NFL teams are set to open in a matter of days and to help with the countdown, player ratings for the ever-popular Madden video game have been being released.

Always popular this time of year is the discussion of which players get rated the coveted “99 rating”, being the very best in the game.  EA Sports, who produces the game, has been rolling out the ratings all week and will continue to do so.

On Wednesday they revealed that former Notre Dame great and current Dallas Cowboys offensive guard Zack Martin received a 99 rating.  He’s the first guard to earn the honor since Larry Allen in 2003.

Here is the the running list of players to earn that 99-rating for this year’s game: