Why did Zack Martin retire from NFL? Cowboys’ seven-time All-Pro guard decides to walk away at age 34

Longtime Cowboys guard Zack Martin is retiring from the NFL at 34 years-old after 11 seasons in the league, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports.

Dallas drafted Martin in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft, and the Notre Dame product became a stalwart on the Cowboys’ offensive line. He played in 162 games over the course of his career, playing in every game of the regular season seven times in 11 years.

Martin became one of the best players in Cowboys history for his play on the interior offensive line, and his retirement will certainly be felt in the organization. Here’s the breakdown of Martin’s decision to move on from football.

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Why did Zack Martin retire from the NFL?

At 34 years-old, Martin is coming off a season in which he missed seven games, the most in one season in his NFL career. The veteran had just one year left on his contract with the Cowboys but likely felt he couldn’t perform at a high level anymore after finishing last year on injured reserve.

Zack Martin’s career achievements

Martin ends his career with nine Pro Bowl appearances, seven first-team All-Pro appearances and an appearance on the All-2010’s team. The guard made the All-Rookie team and was the runner-up for Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2014 to Odell Beckham Jr. Here’s his full list of achievements:

• 9x Pro-Bowler
• 7x First-Team All-Pro
• 2x Second-Team All-Pro
• NFL 2010s All-Decade Team

Throughout his entire career, Martin had just seven holding calls in 11 seasons.

Additionally, all of those calls came in the running game as Martin was never called for holding in a pass play.

Will Zack Martin get into the Hall of Fame?

Martin certainly has a strong hall of fame case as he was one of the best interior offensive linemen over the past decade. The guard will be eligible to make the hall of fame in five years, assuming he doesn’t decide to come out of retirement, and he will have a legitimate chance to make the hall on his first try.

In total, here is the list of offensive guards who’ve made it to Canton:

• Bruce Matthews
• Randall McDaniel
• John Hannah
• Alan Faneca
• Larry Allen
• Larry Little
• Steve Hutchinson
• Jerry Kramer
• Gene Upshaw
• Will Shields
• Russ Grimm
• Joe DeLamielleure
• Gene Hickerson
• Billy Shaw
• Mike Munchak
• Tom Mack
• Dick Stanfel
• Mike Michalske
• Dan Fortman

Reactions from Cowboys fans, teammates and peers

Martin played his entire career for the Cowboys, making him one of the most beloved players in franchise history. As a result, the Cowboys community, and the NFL community overall, had nothing but great things to say about Martin in retirement.

Martin’s peers also reacted to his retirement, as the veteran had a lot of respect from everyone across the league.

Cowboys offensive line depth chart

With Martin retiring, the Cowboys have a hole at right guard as backup T.J. Bass temporarily slots into the starting spot.

Last year, Beebe stabilized the center position, while Steele played every snap at right tackle. Tyler Smith played both 90 percent of the snaps at either left tackle and left guard, and Guyton played over half the snaps at left tackle, with all four starters set to return next year.