The Dallas Cowboys and six-time All-Pro guard Zach Martin have reached an agreement on a reformulated deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
In the new deal, the 32-year-old will get more than $18 million in each of the next two years, guaranteed. The team captain was set to see $13.5 million this year and $14 million next year, so that’s quite a pay increase.
This comes after he was reported to have not turned up for training in the past few weeks due to a contract dispute.
Last month, reports began circulating that the eight-time Pro Bowl guard was not happy with his current wages and would consider skipping training camp.
Faced with contract opposition, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told reporters that “nothing needed to happen,” adding that Martin would “come to camp when he comes to camp.”
With Martin facing a $50,000 fine for each day of training camp he missed, a league source suggested to Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson that the Cowboys could take advantage of an Aaron Donald-esque solution to Martin and rework his existing deal to his liking. For the Los Angeles Rams last offseason, those negotiations brought the total value of Donald’s contract to $95 million over three years.
A similar fix appears to have been used in Martin’s case, although Jones did not initially seem open to this type of solution.
“He’s been on capital all the way through, he’s made a lot of money and he’s made a lot of money over the years,” Jones said in July. “It’s hard to have it all. Bottom line, nothing has to happen.”
As Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports pointed out, His rejection came at the right time. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy confirmed that the team’s protection plan would shift toward focusing on stability of the passing game and minimizing interceptions. Martin can be instrumental in the success of these goals.
Martin also benefited from a key market for offensive linemen, compared to the deteriorating market for running backs this season. The Atlanta Falcons’ recent stretch of guard Kris Lindstrom is the biggest recent example.
With Martin’s deal seemingly settled, he can join the rest of his teammates as they prepare for their Week 1 game with the New York Giants.