Mid-afternoon on Feb. 20, longtime Dallas Cowboys guard Zack Martin announced his retirement. The move comes with little shock, as he retires at 34 years old.  

Martin’s 11-year career was tremendous; seven-time All-Pro, second in the 2014 Offensive Rookie of the Year race as an offensive lineman, and nine Pro Bowls. In addition, he only missed 15 total games due to injuries. 

Martin teamed up with countless iconic Cowboys throughout his career: Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten, as well as his fellow lineman Tyron Smith, and the list goes on. His quality career should without a doubt earn him a Hall of Fame bid. 

Martin started every game of his career – 162 hard-fought battles protecting two top quarterbacks in Dak Prescott and Tony Romo, among others when Prescott or Romo were injured. Martin was a key piece to each year of Dallas’ offense, as they were top-5 in yards in six of Martin’s 11 years on the field. 

Although Dallas’ playoff resume in Martin’s career is nothing short of shotty, the guard played winning football during his long career. Out of the Cowboys’ three losing seasons during Martin’s tenure, two of them were the rare times when he was injured for several games. 

Martin boasts a wild statistic – only 21 penalties throughout his 162 games played. That’s roughly one penalty every eight games, or two penalties every season. The Notre Dame product will go down as one of the best offensive linemen in NFL history, and was everything a team would want protecting their quarterback. 

Featured image via @thegob70 on X