According to reports, Dallas Cowboys offensive guard Zach Martin is planning on retiring after 11 seasons in the NFL.
He has had a stellar career as a Cowboys mainstay over the past decade, with nine Pro Bowl selections and seven All-Pro First Team nods to his name.
He also is leaving the game with an incredible stat.
“Zack Martin had 6,659 pass [protection] snaps in his 11-year career. He had ZERO accepted holding penalties in pass pro. … Absolutely legendary,” Warren Sharp wrote on X.
Zack Martin had 6,659 pass pro snaps in his 11-yr career
he had ZERO accepted holding penalties in pass pro!!
0 holding penalties on 6,659 pass pro snaps 🤯
absolutely legendary https://t.co/VRg5WOBz4r
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) February 20, 2025
Holding penalties are one violation offensive linemen are prone to picking up, and it takes plenty of discipline, as well as a dedication to the fundamentals and proper technique, to avoid them.
Martin seemed to start to show signs of wear and tear this season, and his retirement will put more pressure on Dallas to bring in reinforcements to augment a very top-heavy roster.
The Cowboys certainly have star power and big names in quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, pass rusher Micah Parsons and defensive backs Trevon Diggs and Daron Bland, but the team is lacking complementary players, and that includes the offensive line.
Dallas has virtually no salary cap flexibility, so it will have to draft very well and restructure some contracts to get back on track after going 7-10 and missing the playoffs this season.
Martin was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-2010s Team, and he is considered a lock to get inducted into the Hall when he becomes eligible.
