One Stat Perfectly Sums Up Zack Martin's Legendary NFL Career With Cowboys

Kristen Wong | Feb 20, 2025

Zack Martin #70 of the Dallas Cowboys blocks during the first half against the Houston Texans at AT&T Stadium on November 18, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. / Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images

In some cases, NFL stats only tell part of the story. In the case of Dallas Cowboys guard Zack Martin, they tell everything.

Martin, 34, informed the Cowboys of his intention to retire on Thursday, putting an emphatic period at the end of his decorated 11-year NFL tenure. Martin was selected by the Cowboys in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft out of the University of Notre Dame and went on to spend his entire career in Dallas, earning seven first-team All-Pro nods and nine Pro Bowl selections.

The veteran guard was set to become a free agent this offseason but is coming off a season-ending ankle injury and instead decided to call it quits on an unrivaled career, going down in the record books as one of the greatest offensive linemen in NFL history.

Looking back on Martin’s myriad of games, one incredible stat stands out, as initially pointed out by Ari Meirov: Martin will retire from the league with more All-Pro selections (9) than accepted holding penalties (7). 

Zack Martin retires from the NFL with more All-Pro selections (9) than accepted holding penalties (7).

What a stat. What a career. 👏 https://t.co/2ADSKY0R5S pic.twitter.com/93lkgFRwoP

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) February 20, 2025

A quick cross-reference with NFL Penalties verifies this stat (though the data from 2017 is missing for some reason).

Martin accrued three holding penalties in 2015 and one in '14, '16, '19 and 2022, adding up to seven in his entire career.

The future Hall-of-Famer has certainly earned his rest. The Cowboys’ offensive line won’t look the same without him.

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