Dallas Cowboys All-Pro guard Zack Martin will undergo season-ending surgery on his right ankle.
Martin has missed the past two games with ankle and shoulder injuries, and has been bothered by a right ankle injury for most of the season. In the Nov. 18 loss to the Houston Texans, Martin left early because of a sprain to his other ankle.
Head coach Mike McCarthy said: “Everybody involved thought it was best for him to get the surgery. I think you just have to take a step back and deal with one thing at a time and that’s frankly the conversation that Zack and I had. The focus is really about the surgery, what’s next. And I think those are all questions that I’m sure that will be asked or will be thought about. But he really, in my conversations with him, his focus is on getting the surgery and trying to do the best he can with this ankle because obviously this is I think the third surgery that he’ll have on that ankle.”
Martin, who turned 34 last month, has been rumored to be considering retirement after this season. He is under contract through 2025. However, the deal was restructured last offseason to help spread out a salary-cap hit over the 2025 and ’26 seasons if he retired. He would be guaranteed $40 million in 2026 if he’s on the roster the fifth day of the 2025 league year.
If he opts to retire, Martin will do so as one of the most decorated Cowboys in franchise history. He was named to the Pro Bowl nine times in his first 10 years and an All-Pro seven times. Said McCarthy: “Clearly a Hall of Famer, not only for the way he plays but just first class. He just commands a lot of respect. Same person, personality every single day. Hard working. True team guy. Puts the team first. He’s been a joy to work with and I can’t say enough great things about him.”
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