Jerry on Zack Martin Holdout: Cowboys 'Need That Money to Pay Micah Parsons!'

“It’s about facts. We need the money to pay Micah Parsons. We need the money to pay the players we’ve got to pay in the future.'' - Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on why he's unbending during Zack Martin's contract holdout.

OXNARD, Calif. - Jerry Jones has been trying to hold his tongue regarding his Dallas Cowboys front office's contract battle with holdout Zack Martin, having only said up until Saturday - via an answer to CowboysSI.com - that he wishes to emphasize "the integrity of a contract.''

What does that mean? It means that while Martin is of the opinion that he’s “woefully underpaid,'' and that while teammate Dak Prescott has in public taken a “Pay the man!” approach to the dispute, Jones does not wish to move here.

And so comes an even more forceful "a contract is a contract'' public pronouncement from the Dallas front office.

“Nothing,'' Jones said when asked about the next step needed to forge a resolution. "He’ll come to camp when he comes to camp. There’s no resolution. There are a lot of consequences 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 ... all (of the money). The bottom line is, nothing needs to happen.”

That's Jones' way of referencing the team's "salary-cap pie,'' where a certain-sized slice is designated for certain people. Dallas' position is that Martin got his slice ... and that giving him more will make it more difficult to pay the next guy - like, say, Micah Parsons.

Said Jerry: “You make an adjustment like that, all of the sudden you don’t have the money to go pay the guys that are in their first contract that you need to pay. ... “It’s not about precedent — it’s about facts. We need the money to pay Parsons. We need the money to pay the players we’ve got to pay in the future. That’s a fact. That’s not even a philosophy. It’s just a fact.''

Parsons is due a new deal as soon as next year. We've speculated that his contract might come in at $35 million APY, making him the highest-paid defender in NFL history.

"Those dollars are there, and we have this at this level,'' Jones said. "If you redid all the contracts, you could never put a roster together.”

Meanwhile, behind the scenes? Martin teammate Tyler Smith, his standout offensive line mate, offered up a revelation after Thursday’s training camp session here in Oxnard, disclosing the content of a Martin text to the fellas.

“You all set the tone,” Martin texted. “I’ll be there soon.”

Prescott - who is surely just a little but uncomfortable working here at training camp in Oxnard with one of the best protectors of his generation not present - can make an easy pick on choosing sides here, and has done so.

And Martin? This contractual conflict has now stretched into five camp days, and it is costing his $50,000 daily in fines.

Does this new revelation about a text suggest Martin is weakening in his resolve? Not necessarily. Does it mean he has discovered a negotiating crack in Dallas’ armor? Based on Jones' words, that answer is "no.''

But Martin, who believes he is underpaid at $13.5 million for 2023 (his top-ranked peers now make $20 million APY) obviously anticipates that something is on the verge of moving … while Jerry anticipates keeping his "salary-cap pie'' as baked - without wishing to move.

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