Dallas Cowboys star right guard Zack Martin suffered the first season-ending injury of his 11-year career in 2024 after undergoing ankle surgery in Week 14. That injury combined with his Cowboys contract expiring and being 34 years old has him staring down the prospect of retirement in 2025.
If he doesn’t play another game, Martin’s spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame is ensured. His seven first-team All-Pro selections are tied for the most in league history among offensive guards with Hall of Famers Randall McDaniel and John Hannah and Martin is a member of the 2010s All-Decade team. At the moment, Martin is taking time off from football to get his ankle feeling good again and to mull one of the biggest decisions of his life: to retire or return to football for another season in 2025. He will turn 35 on Nov. 20.
“First off, I want to try to get healthy,” Martin said, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, on Tuesday at a Super Bowl radio row promotional event. “[I’ll decide] here in the next month, six weeks. Me and my wife have been talking about it, but right now I’m focused on getting healthy and seeing how I feel with this ankle repaired and whether or not I’ll give it a go again.”
Martin’s excitement…
