Zack Martin wants to spend career with Cowboys, remains hopeful for extension

Zack Martin sees a bright future for the Dallas Cowboys even though this season ended without a trip to the playoffs.

Martin made it clear that his hope remains the same – he’d like to spend his career with the organization that drafted him in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

“I was lucky enough to be drafted here, and I want to be here for my career,” Martin said. “Hopefully, we can get something worked out.”

The Cowboys and Martin’s agents discussed a long-term deal last off-season and throughout training camp. They didn’t reach an agreement, though, and each side agreed to table talks to avoid a possible distraction for Martin during the season.

“We had good talks,” Martin said. “But just at that time, I didn’t want it to linger during the season and think about it. So kind of held it and played this year, so hopefully we can talk and get something done here in the off-season.”

Martin, 27, is under contract through next season as the Cowboys exercised their fifth-year option on him. He’s set to make $9.3 million in 2018.

But Martin is in line for a big payday as he’s arguably the top guard in football. His contract is expected to surpass the five-year, $60 million deal the Cleveland Browns handed Kevin Zeitler last off-season to make him the highest-paid guard in the league.

Martin, the Cowboys’ 2014 first-round pick, has been named to the Pro Bowl in his first four professional seasons. He garnered first-team All-Pro honors in 2014 and 2016 and second-team honors in 2015.

He’s a strong candidate to earn first-team honors again this season. Martin is having his best season, being called for no penalties and giving up just one sack in 15 games.

For his career, Martin has been flagged 13 times and given up seven sacks as he’s started 63 of a possible 63 regular-season games.

“He’s a great football player. He’s been a really good football player for us, right from the start,” coach Jason Garrett said. “Among the best players at his position from his rookie year on, and he’s getting better and better and better.

“It’s hard to get off to a better start to his career than he has. Because he loves it so much and cares so much about it, he just continues to get better. He works so hard at it, and he continues to grow, year by year.”

Garrett raved about Martin’s mental and physical traits. Physically, Martin’s balance might be the thing that sets him apart from other guards.

“He’s an outstanding athlete,” Garrett said. “He can generate power quickly. He’s a very explosive guy. In terms of his balance as a pass protector, it’s outstanding. The manifestations of that are sometimes you get in a situation where you might get overpowered here, but somehow he can right himself and get his feet back up underneath him and get back on balance to be able to sustain the block.

“If you watch him play, both as a run blocker and pass protector, his ability to sustain throughout the down and finish through the end of the down, is as good as anybody in the league.”

Martin and the Cowboys close out the season Sunday at Philadelphia.

The Cowboys view him as an integral part of their future after building one of the top offensive lines. And Martin likes what the future holds for this core group of Cowboys.

“I think we’ve got a ton of talent in this locker room,” Martin said. “Obviously moving forward, there’ll be new draft guys in here, but we have a ton of confidence in what we have in this locker room and us going forward.

“We have all the confidence in the world in this team, in our coaches and we know if we make a few more plays here and there, we would be playing after this weekend. But we didn’t.

“We’re going to have to sit and watch from the sidelines and get ready for next year.”

This story was originally published December 28, 2017 at 9:31 AM with the headline "Zack Martin wants to spend career with Cowboys, remains hopeful for extension."