At the moment it remains unclear if Zack Martin is going to participate in Dallas Cowboys OTA’s. He missed them both on Tuesday and Wednesday, and according to Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett All-Pro guard probably won’t be a part of teams organized activities.
America’s Team right guard worked out with his teammates before OTAs in April, but after they started, he’s been missing. These activities are voluntary, so it’s not unusual seeing some star players not showing up.
According to Garrett, Martin was working on his strength and conditioning while other players were busy with OTAs. Talking about Zack, coach Jason said: “We’ve had really good conversations about this, he and I have, and I know there’s ongoing dialogue between his representatives and the Joneses about it. He’s one of the best players we have. He represents everything we want, but there is a business side to this that both sides are working through.”
The players mini-camp, which is mandatory will be held from June 12-14.
The primary reason for Martin missing OTAs is his contract. As things stand right now, he will play on his fifth-year option in 2018 and is set to earn $9.3 million. During the past few weeks, and even months, Dallas’ top brass and Zack’s representatives have been working on a new long-term deal. Big D franchise officials claim that it’s their priority to extend NFL’s best guard and that they want to complete it before the season starts.
Upon signing a new deal, Martin will undoubtedly become league’s highest paid guard eclipsing the $13.3 million-per-year contract that Andy Norwell signed with Jacksonville Jaguars. Last year Cleveland Browns gave Kevin Zeitler $32 million guaranteed, and Martin should receive more guaranteed money than him.
Other star players, drafted in 2014, who are holding out for multi-million contracts during the pre-season are Los Angeles Rams DT Aaron Donald and Oakland Raiders pass-rusher Khalil Mack. All three of them will probably receive record-breaking deals in coming months.
