Jerry Jones Jokes Drafting Martin over Johnny Manziel: Best 'Right' Decision I Made

Had Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones gotten his way during the 2014 NFL draft, the Dallas Cowboys may have ended up with Johnny Manziel instead of future Hall of Famer Zack Martin.

He's comfortable joking about the situation 11 years later.

"Best 'right,' decision I've ever made," Jones said, per ESPN's Todd Archer, while also joking he still has "knots" on his legs because executive vice president Stephen Jones kicked him under the table for attempting to generate more interest in Manziel for the No. 16 pick.

"Everybody was looking at their feet when Jerry was asking questions about who would be for the other guy [Manziel]," Stephen Jones said.

Archer noted Jerry Jones "made one more pass to speak to the player personnel department and scouts, looking to stoke interest in taking Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel," but the team went with Martin at No. 16 overall.

And it couldn't have worked out better.

Martin officially retired Wednesday but only after a dominant 11-year career with the Cowboys. The offensive lineman was a nine-time Pro Bowler, seven-time First-Team All-Pro selection and member of the Hall of Fame 2010s Team as the anchor of Dallas' offensive front throughout his tenure.

He was seen as one of the best offensive linemen in the league during his playing days and will surely end up in the Hall of Fame one day as a representative of the only NFL team he ever knew.

As for Manziel, he fell to the No. 22 pick and the Cleveland Browns.

While things might have been different for the Texas A&M quarterback if he remained in the state and played for Dallas instead of Cleveland, he did not live up to expectations. He went 2-6 as a starter, made plenty of off-field headlines, was suspended during the 2016 season and failed to live up to the standard he set as a Heisman Trophy winner in college.

It is quite a stark comparison to Martin, who surpassed all realistic expectations and now retires as a Cowboys legend.