Giving Zack Martin a Raise Should Be a No-Brainer
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Dallas, Texas (PSF) - This one should be like Lebron James all alone on the break, ready to slam it home with ease. Unfortunately, it is playing out more like that same scenario in game two against the Nuggets. In irrational fear land, I worry that Jerry Jones’ comments about Zack Martin’s contract and his holdout from camp could leave a lasting bitter taste in his mouth.
Zack Martin is one of the best Cowboys of all time. He is currently getting paid an average of $14 million a year. The highest paid guard in the NFL, Chris Lindstrom, has a $21 million dollar annual salary. Lindstrom is elite. In four seasons, he has given up five sacks and one holding penalty. As a younger player getting his first contract post-rookie deal, his salary makes sense. Lindstrom is one of seven guards being paid more than Zack Martin. It is arguable, but Zack Martin’s longevity and consistency might make him better than all of them.
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He has more Pro-Bowl selections (8) than holding penalties (6), he’s given up 12.5 sacks (one in the last three seasons), and has been called for a total of 19 penalties in his nine-year career. Most of the guards making more than him play on the left side, but when you compare his stats to those who play on the same side as him (Wyatt Teller & Brandon Scherff), it becomes clear that Zack Martin is long overdue for a raise.
In terms of career length, Brandon Scherff is the best comparison to Zack Martin. Scherff currently makes $16.5 million annually. In eight seasons, Scherff has been called for holding 17 times and he’s allowed 21 sacks. Zack Martin has always been a team-first, selfless kind of guy. His current holdout from camp is unlike anything we’ve ever seen from him.
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It’s hard to imagine that Martin is looking for some kind of outrageous raise to become the NFL’s highest paid tackle heading into his tenth year. A sweet spot for a raise would be about $3.5-4 million, paying Martin an annual $17.5-18 million and compensating him more than a player he is statistically just better than in Brandon Scherff.
Jones’ comments about “needing the money to pay Micah Parsons” really don’t pass the sniff test. Not only was it a poor choice to publicly say it, but it likely isn’t true. From a non-cap expert (years of turning off the salary cap in Madden and going hog wild during free agency will do this to you), it is hard to believe that it becomes a zero-sum game in the present because of a payment you have to make in the future (Parsons).
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Restructurings to free up cap space happen all the time (particularly in Cowboys land), the salary cap increases yearly, and basically, the conclusion becomes, without having to say any more: PAY THE MAN (a bit more than he is being paid right now that is more proportionate to the insane value he brings to the field).
