Zack Martin Not on Cowboys Plane; Camp Countdown to Holdout

It can be argued that the Cowboys must do everything in their power to keep Zack Martin happy. Maybe that effort happens with a start to a compromise, asking the All-Pro to report to Oxnard with a promise that negotiations will accelerate in earnest.

OXNARD, Calif. - The Dallas Cowboys do not require their players to be aboard the team plane that traveled Monday from DFW Airport to here in Oxnard. Nor are players required to be present Monday at all, as Tuesday is technically the reporting day. 

All-Pro guard Zack Martin, who has threatened to not report to training camp as he seeks a new contract, flexed his considerable muscles in both those areas. He wasn't on the plane. And as far as we know, he's not here.

Martin has been one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL over the past decade, with six All-Pro selections in nine seasons. Compared to other star guards, such as Chris Lindstrom (Atlanta Falcons) and Quentin Nelson (Indianapolis Colts) who both make around $20 million a year, Martin can and is arguing that he's underpaid at just $13.5 million per season.

CowboysSI.com reports via sources that the two sides have been negotiating. But does that mean “optimism”? “Progress”? Our sources do not suggest that. One view: He signed his latest extension in 2018, while every guard with a higher annual value signed theirs in 2021 or later. At the time he signed his deal, Martin was rightfully the highest-paid guard in football.

That, the two sides agree on. But “talking” isn’t “doing,” and given the fact that the sides touched base in February and yet here we sit on the eve of camp with an unhappy Martin. ... and with an empty seat on the plane.

That is not a “positive.’ So … it can be argued that the Cowboys must do everything in their power to keep Martin happy. Maybe that effort happens with a start to a compromise, telling Martin to report to Oxnard will negotiations accelerate in earnest.

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Mike Fisher
MIKE FISHER

Mike Fisher - as a newspaper beat writer and columnist and on radio and TV, where he is an Emmy winner - has covered the NFL since 1983 and the Dallas Cowboys since 1990, is the author of two best-selling books on the Cowboys.