FRISCO, Texas — It doesn't matter who decides to square off with Him, because the result is always the same: Father Time is undefeated. His latest opponent is Zack Martin, an absolute ironman for the Dallas Cowboys who, 11 seasons in the NFL later, is deciding to walk into retirement.
What he will be remembered for flies directly in the face of Mr. Time, however, as Martin departs the NFL having earned a total of nine Pro Bowls, nine All-Pro honors and a salute as a finalist for the 2024 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
Incomparable by every measurement known to humankind, Martin reflected on his time with the Cowboys as a player and his impact on the Dallas community.
"What a privilege it is for the Dallas Cowboys to have you having been the player you've been, and the only team you've ever played for in professional sports," said owner and general manager Jerry Jones before comparing him to the greatest offensive lineman in NFL history. "We're honored … and we all know the great Larry Allen is someone we're proud of. I wanna tell you right now, having known him personally and being involved in every kind of serious decision he was involved in, you guys are twins.
"You're twins. And you've had the same deep-seated respect for your fellow teammates and for what you were trying to contribute for the team to win. We all know everybody calls Larry the greatest, well, now we've got a debate coming on."
As a list of current and former teammates filed into The Star in Frisco to honor him — e.g., Dak Prescott, Tony Romo, Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick and many, many others who shared a field with The GOB — the solemn celebration featured everything from tears flowing to laughs ensuing as Martin and the Joneses remembered the drama of the 2014 draft that landed the former in Dallas at the expense of quarterback Johnny Manziel.
Throughout the event, Martin oscillated between appreciation, remembrance and the reality of everything hitting him all at once.
"It was an absolute privilege to run out of the tunnel every Sunday and give this city everything I had," he said, clearing his throat often out of emotion. "I know many of you may have seen this decision coming, but that doesn't make it any easier. Football has been a huge part of my life.
"It's what I know. It's what I love. It's what has shaped me for as long as I can remember. I did not make this decision lightly. It comes after a long thought and prayer. But the time has come for my football journey to reach its end."
It's a first-ballot Hall of Fame career that not only saw Martin penalized for fewer holding infractions than the number of All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors he earned, and in a total of 179 starts, no less, but also included his leadership within the locker room and mentorship in annually coaching up young talent like the latest crop that includes Brock Hoffman, T.J. Bass, Cooper Beebe, Terence Steele, Tyler Guyton and two-time All-Pro left guard Tyler Smith.
As so eloquently noted by All-Pro quarterback Dak Prescott, Martin is irreplaceable and the best the Cowboys can do is try to fill his shoes as a collective, seeing as no one person could ever.
It's not exactly a shock to see such profound sentiments echoed throughout the front office, locker room and entire organization, a group who originally saw greatness in Martin when they brought him in as the 16th-overall pick out of Notre Dame, as part of an eventual O-line triumvirate that included other offensive line All-Pros in Tyron Smith and Travis Frederick.
"First of all, Zack is just unique, at the end of the day. He's unique on the field, and he's unique off the field," said Director of Player Personnel Stephen Jones when describing what he saw in Martin at Notre Dame that made him stand on the table for him in the aforementioned 2014 NFL Draft. "It may have been Will [McClay's] first draft in helping us put up the board. When you look at it, and you're picking that high, you wanna make sure you're right. And when you read Zack and you watched [him] on tape, it was hard to find anything you didn't like about him.
"… It was real easy, It was unanimous and everybody in the room looked at their feet when Jerry [Jones] asked who would be for the other guy. It's always been easy to stand up for Zack."
With all three, Smith, Frederick and Martin, no longer in a Cowboys' uniform, and two out of football entirely, the best era of offensive line play since the famed "Wall of Dallas" years is officially at its end.
Where Martin goes from here is anyone's guess, though you can bet your grandfather's farm on the fact he'll see his name not only enter Canton as a Hall of Famer but also ascended to the Cowboys’ coveted Ring of Honor in what'll likely be short order, but the consummate family man will initially take the opportunity to spend more time with his wife and children — after more than a decade of his family sharing him with the rigors and demands of the NFL.
"I haven't gone too deep down that rabbit hole yet. I don't see myself not, in some capacity, in the football world. Whatever that may be, I'm not sure. But, for right now, I'm just gonna hang with the family and maybe coach some little league games."
As he prepares to help with the school carpools, flanked at the end of his press conference by his wife and three children, as well as his mother and father, Martin walks away from a game he never once tried to cheat, and from a team he "gave his everything to" over the past 11 seasons; and his legacy will never be forgotten.
And, like Allen's, it will likely never be duplicated.
