Surprise! Dallas picks up 5th year option on Martin

mcnuttz

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Dallas Cowboys pick up Zack Martin's fifth-year option


  • By Kevin Patra
  • Around the NFL writer
  • Updated: April 18, 2017 at 09:06 a.m.


Another no-brainer fifth-year option was picked up this week.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday the Cowboys officially picked up the 2018 option for OL Zack Martin
per NFL Players Association records. The team officially announced the move shortly after.


It's a move Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones indicated in January would happen -- it's now official.

The No. 16 pick in 2014, Martin has been one of the best guards in the NFL since the moment he stepped into the league. The 26-year-old hasn't missed a start in three seasons, earned a Pro Bowl bid each year and was selected first-team All-Pro twice (was second-team All-Pro the other year).

Martin's 2018 salary is expected to be about $9.3 million. Given what Kevin Zeitler and T.J. Lang made on the open market, that's a bargain for the Cowboys.

With Martin's contract picked up the next two seasons, and Tyron Smith and Travis Frederick both locked down well past 2020, Dallas has built a solid wall in front of Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott for years to come.


 

mcnuttz

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Now sign him to a Cowboys for life deal and be done with it.
 

Cotton

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dallen

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An 8 year, $90 million extension sounds pretty good
 

Cowboysrock55

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Now sign him to a Cowboys for life deal and be done with it.
Yeah, it is something that I'd get done next year around this time. The money should be there and you don't want to wait until he is an impending free agent.
 

Simpleton

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He'll be extended before the first regular season game.

I'm guessing something like 6 years, 75-80 million with about 30 guaranteed.
 

Cowboysrock55

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He'll be extended before the first regular season game.

I'm guessing something like 6 years, 75-80 million with about 30 guaranteed.
Why do it before this season? Just curious. I mean he only counts 2.8 mil against the cap in 2017. With two years left on the deal it seems counter productive to me. If you extend him now with 2 years left on his deal you're basically taking on extra unnecessary risk.
 

Simpleton

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Why do it before this season? Just curious. I mean he only counts 2.8 mil against the cap in 2017. With two years left on the deal it seems counter productive to me. If you extend him now with 2 years left on his deal you're basically taking on extra unnecessary risk.
That's been their M.O., it's what they did with Frederick last season.

Usually they just tack it on to the contract, keeping the cap hit for this season the same.
 

Cowboysrock55

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That's been their M.O., it's what they did with Frederick last season.

Usually they just tack it on to the contract, keeping the cap hit for this season the same.
And I understand that but what's the motivation for Dallas to do that? Unless I guess they feel like they are getting a discounted price for it. I mean you're essentially taking the risk that if the guy has a career ending injury in 2017, you're on the hook for that big ass contract you just handed him. That would be the risk to Dallas at least.

I think with Frederick we did it in order to sort of reduce his 2017 year numbers. Basically his fifth year would have cost us much more than the 4.5 mil he will count next year.
 

Simpleton

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And I understand that but what's the motivation for Dallas to do that? Unless I guess they feel like they are getting a discounted price for it. I mean you're essentially taking the risk that if the guy has a career ending injury in 2017, you're on the hook for that big ass contract you just handed him. That would be the risk to Dallas at least.

I think with Frederick we did it in order to sort of reduce his 2017 year numbers. Basically his fifth year would have cost us much more than the 4.5 mil he will count next year.
Frederick signed his extension going into his 4th season (last season), and the timing would be the same if we sign Martin before this season begins.

I don't know exactly why they do it, maybe they just want to get it out of the way, maybe they want to get the extension in place when the player is a year younger, maybe it's to save a little money since there is inflation each year, who knows?
 

midswat

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I'm not a very good fan and don't keep up with a lot of details... but as I understand it, Frederick and Smith have long term big money contracts, right?

Martin should be by the end of the summer.

Isn't Collins up for a new deal soon? Idr how long his rookie deal was.

Will we be able to sign him as well and about how practical is it to have so much money tied up to one unit - even if arguably the second most important unit on the team (behind QB)
 

boozeman

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I'm not a very good fan and don't keep up with a lot of details... but as I understand it, Frederick and Smith have long term big money contracts, right?

Martin should be by the end of the summer.

Isn't Collins up for a new deal soon? Idr how long his rookie deal was.

Will we be able to sign him as well and about how practical is it to have so much money tied up to one unit - even if arguably the second most important unit on the team (behind QB)
Collins is on the final year of his contract. Frederick and Smith are locked up I believe until 2020 at least.
 

Cowboysrock55

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Collins is on the final year of his contract. Frederick and Smith are locked up I believe until 2020 at least.
Yeah but Collins will be a restrticted free agent. You put a first round tender on him amd he won't be going anywhere for the next 2 years at least.
 

dallen

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Yeah but Collins will be a restrticted free agent. You put a first round tender on him amd he won't be going anywhere for the next 2 years at least.
I thought we agreed not to tender him at the end of his contract as part of the recruiting effort to get Collins to sign here, but I guess I imagined it. I can't find any record of it now.
 

Rev

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I thought we agreed not to tender him at the end of his contract as part of the recruiting effort to get Collins to sign here, but I guess I imagined it. I can't find any record of it now.
I think that was Hardy and the franchise tag.
 

Cowboysrock55

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I thought we agreed not to tender him at the end of his contract as part of the recruiting effort to get Collins to sign here, but I guess I imagined it. I can't find any record of it now.
Yeah you dreamed it. I don't think you can even do that. We did however guarantee his entire rookie contract which I think is a bit unusual for an undrafted player.
 

Angrymesscan

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I thought we agreed not to tender him at the end of his contract as part of the recruiting effort to get Collins to sign here, but I guess I imagined it. I can't find any record of it now.
I remember something like that too, but I think it was a "gentelmans agreement", nothing in writing.
 
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