Cowboys Concern With Martin Holdout? ‘Zack Will Be Fine!’ - Mike McCarthy
The Dallas Cowboys are not thrilled that Zack Martin is holding out for a new contract during training camp.
However, that doesn't mean that they are overly concerned - at least not from a coaching perspective.
“Everything we’re doing here and now, Zack already has," Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said on Thursday, "Zack will be just fine.”
Yes, they would rather have their best offensive lineman on the field as much as possible. And yes, McCarthy’s position naturally leads to the question, “Then why does any veteran need training camp?”
And one more thing: McCarthy is wise to continue to take the position that he’s in charge of football, not contracts … and that “you never talk about another man’s money.”
Luckily for the Cowboys, Martin probably does already have most everything he needs to fit back in upon his return.
Meanwhile, Martin, an eight-time Pro Bowler, and six-time first-team All-Pro, is obviously critical to the Cowboys success.
With Martin in the lineup, the team is 82-55, and without him, they are 4-5. So, yes, a guard matters - especially if he’s the best guard of his generation.
Still, it appears Dallas is not going to rush Martin back or risk losing the leverage in their negotiations to get him back on the practice field.
“He’ll come to camp when he comes to camp,” team owner Jerry Jones said recently. “There’s no resolution. There are a lot of consequences ($50,000 in daily NFL fines) if he doesn’t. … He’s been at the top of the money all the way through, drafted high and got a lot of money, got a lot of money over the years. It’s just hard to get it all. The bottom line is, nothing needs to happen.”
So when could Martin - who presently makes $13.5 million this year while others have leapfrogged him to $20 million APY - return? As of right now, nobody but Martin and his representation knows the answer to that question. Not even the Joneses.
"I have no idea," COO Stephen Jones said Monday. "That is a Zack Martin question."
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