Zack Martin is retiring after an illustrious career that featured seven All-Pro seasons at right guard for the Dallas Cowboys, according to two sources familiar with the decision.
Martin informed Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones of his retirement in a meeting Thursday, one source told The Associated Press, speaking anonymously as no official announcement was planned.
The 34-year-old lineman’s 11th and final season was cut short due to an ankle injury that required surgery. When sidelined after 10 games, Martin stated he hadn’t yet decided on his future.
Retirement became a topic of discussion when Martin held out during the 2023 preseason before securing a restructured contract with a pay raise, effectively making it a two-year deal.
Drafted 16th overall by Dallas in the 2014 first round, Martin immediately became a cornerstone at right guard.
Texas A&M star Johnny Manziel was still available when Dallas made its pick, but executive vice president of personnel Stephen Jones convinced his father, Jerry Jones, to select Martin over the flashy quarterback, whose NFL career was short-lived.
Martin earned All-Pro honors as a rookie and received that recognition in each of his last five full seasons without injury setbacks. He was a nine-time Pro Bowler and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s all-decade team for the 2010s.
The Cowboys built one of the NFL’s top offensive lines by using first-round picks on linemen in three out of four drafts. They selected left tackle Tyron Smith in 2011, center Travis Frederick in 2013, and Martin the following year.
Frederick unexpectedly retired after six seasons in 2019. He had missed the entire 2018 season due to Guillain-Barré syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that affects the nervous system, and after returning for one more year, he felt he could no longer meet his own performance standards.
The Cowboys allowed eight-time Pro Bowler Tyron Smith to leave in free agency last year, and Martin’s departure marks the team’s biggest offensive line transition in over a decade. This shift comes as quarterback Dak Prescott enters the first year of his four-year, $240 million contract—the first in NFL history with a $60 million annual average value.
Martin’s retirement also coincides with first-year coach Brian Schottenheimer’s effort to revamp a struggling rushing attack that ranked among the league’s worst last season. Rico Dowdle, the first undrafted running back to reach 1,000 rushing yards, is now a free agent.
Dallas is expected to prioritize a running back in April’s draft, but with Martin’s exit, offensive line help has become an even greater need.
Brock Hoffman, who filled in for Martin late last season, is likely to remain in that role. The Cowboys appear set at left guard with 2022 first-round pick Tyler Smith and at center with Cooper Beebe, a third-round selection last year.
Right tackle Terence Steele has been the primary starter since joining Dallas as an undrafted free agent in 2020, though his future remains uncertain. Meanwhile, last year’s first-round pick, Tyler Guyton, is expected to enter training camp as the starting left tackle—though that could change depending on the Cowboys’ draft decisions.
The Cowboys advanced to the divisional round twice in Martin’s first three seasons, including his rookie year when DeMarco Murray set a franchise record with 1,845 rushing yards. They made the playoffs four more times during Martin’s tenure before finishing 7-10 in his final season, snapping a three-year postseason streak.
Despite his stellar career, Martin, like many Cowboys stars before him, was unable to help the team break through to the NFC championship game. Dallas’ 29-year drought without a conference title game appearance is the longest in the NFC. The last time the Cowboys reached that stage was in the 1995 season, when they won their fifth Super Bowl.
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