Cowboys' Zack Martin: Holdout 'Was Weighing Heavy on Me' Before Contract Restructure

Zack Martin feels like a weight has been lifted now that he and the Dallas Cowboys restructured his contract and he is no longer holding out.

"This [holdout] was obviously weighing heavy on me, and I had to do what I had to do to get it done," he said, per Todd Archer of ESPN. "Now, it's all about the season and getting ready for the season and helping this team win a championship. That's where my mind goes right away."

On Monday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the two sides agreed to a deal that will pay Martin more than $18 million in guaranteed money in each of the next two seasons instead of the $13.5 million he was initially scheduled to make this year and the $14 million for next year.

In July, Schefter noted Martin felt "woefully underpaid relative to the market" when he was going to make approximately $7 million less in 2023 than other top-paid guards around the league.

Martin surely isn't the only one relieved with the end of his holdout.

He has been an anchor for the Dallas offense since the franchise selected him with a first-round pick in 2014 and is an eight-time Pro Bowler and six-time First-Team All-Pro selection. He was excellent last season and appeared in all 17 games as a Pro Bowler and First Team All-Pro.

"Over the past four seasons when Martin wasn't on the field, the Cowboys' per-play average dropped more than a yard, the quarterbacks' QBR dropped more than 20 points and the sack rate increased," Archer wrote. "When Martin played, the Cowboys' pass block win rate was 58%. When he didn't, it was 42%, which would rank last in the NFL."

The Cowboys are surely happy to have that level of production back along the offensive line.