Cowboys’ seven-time All-Pro Zack Martin has announced his retirement

The Dallas Cowboys finished 7-10 in 2024, third in the NFC East. This offseason, owner Jerry Jones parted ways with head coach Mike McCarthy. He had a 49-35 record over five seasons. 

During the 2024 season, All-Pro guard Zack Martin played just 10 games for Dallas. His year was cut short due to an ankle injury that required surgery. On Thursday, NFL insiders announced that Martin will be retiring from the NFL after 11 seasons.

Zack Martin was a legendary player for the Dallas Cowboys

More about Zack Martin deciding to retire, via @toddarcher:https://t.co/g93mhA7uPh

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 21, 2025

In the 2014 NFL draft, the Cowboys selected Zack Martin with the 16th pick out of Notre Dame. Over 11 seasons, Martin started all 162 games he appeared in. He is one of the most decorated Cowboys players of all time. During his 11 seasons in the NFL, Martin was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection. Additionally, he was a seven-time first-team All-Pro selection.

He is one of five Cowboys players in team history with at least nine Pro Bowl selections. That includes Bob Lilly (11), Larry Allen (10) Mel Renfro (10), and Jason Witten (11). His seven All-Pro selections are tied with Lilly and Randy White for the most in team history. Since Martin entered the NFL in 2014, the only player who had more first-team All-Pro selections than him was Rams’ Aaron Donald.

During his 11 seasons in the NFL, Martin had seven holding penalties called against him. The same number of first-team All-Pro selections he had. Martin was named to the 2010s All-Decade team. After announcing his retirement, Martin leaves a massive void on the offensive line. He was a stalwart at guard for the last 11 years. Dallas could draft their next guard in 2025 or try and sign a player through free agency. There are several names the Cowboys will monitor this offseason. March 12 is when the free agency period begins.