Dallas Cowboys All-Pro guard Zack Martin isn’t interested in discussing retirement after his 2024 season came to an early end.
“This is not the time to have those discussions, and this is kind of all I’ll say about that,” Martin said, per Patrik Walker of the team’s official website. “It’s a tough situation and the most important thing on my mind is getting healthy, and then having those conversations down the road. First and foremost, I want to get healthy and maybe those conversations are a little bit easier.”
The 34-year-old suited up in each of Dallas’ first 10 games of the year, but he suffered an ankle injury that eventually required season-ending surgery against the Houston Texans on Nov. 18.
Martin revealed that the ankle issue bothered him “over the last few years” and he attempted to play through it, but it “didn’t respond very well” to workouts on the field and he eventually chose to undergo a procedure (via Walker).
The nine-time Pro Bowl guard has remained a staple of the Cowboys’ offensive line since he was selected by the team with a first-round pick in the 2014 NFL draft.
In an interview with Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News in June, Martin admitted that retirement was an option in 2025.
“I’m not saying 100 percent, but I think it’s definitely in the realm of possibilities,” Martin said at the time.
ESPN’s Todd Archer reported that the Cowboys restructured the veteran’s contract over the 2024 offseason to open up cap space and potentially allow them to spread his cap hit over 2025 and 2026 if he chose to retire at the end of the regular season.
