Jerry Jones always gets what he wants, right? Not always, at least he didn’t in the 2014 NFL draft. Back then, Jerry was enamored with the idea of picking up the freshman Heisman Trophy winner from Texas A&M Johnny Manziel who had fallen to the first round’s 16th slot owned by the Cowboys. After all, they needed an heir to the aging Tony Romo. Not to mention, the Cowboys’ marketing department could have worked wonders with “Johnny Football”! Still, Johnny would never don the Cowboys jersey. Instead, a guard from Notre Dame would, eventually etching his name in the franchise history. And behind it is something that Jerry is usually not known to do: listen to others!

The fact is that, among the organization’s football minds, only Jerry Jones wanted Manziel. In fact, Jerry’s son, Stephen, the Cowboys executive vice president in charge of player personnel, was among those who heavily lobbied against choosing Manziel. Coach Jason Garrett, his staff, and the team’s scouts showed Jerry the reality: Romo’s seven-year, $119.5 million contract with $55 million in guarantees. Choosing Manziel would have inevitably pitted the two against each other in a quarterback competition that would have turned Dallas into a three-ring circus.

Thus came the draft day. The personnel boss, Will McClay, and the Cowboys honchos were stationed at team headquarters at Valley Ranch. Staffer Robert Blackwell was in New York, the site of the NFL Draft, and he was instructed via phone (by scouting aide Chris Hall) to write in black Magic Marker two names on potential turn-into-the-league cards. None of those was Johnny! Rather, they suggested, Ohio State linebacker Ryan Shazier and that guard from Notre Dame. Shazier went off the board at 15, to Pittsburgh. So, the only one left was the guard. Insiders revealed, Jerry finally asked his entire staff, “So no one in this room wants to take Johnny Manziel?” He indeed found himself on an island!

So came Jerry’s verdict: “So it’s Martin.” As the decision was relayed to Hall, he immediately passed it on to Blackwell in New York, “Zack Martin.” That dramatic day started Martin’s decade-long association with the Cowboys. Jerry was known to have said after the draft, “I listened to everybody… and I’m … not … happy …” However, the Cowboys fans still consider it to be one of the best recruiting decisions Jerry ever took. After living up to that decision for 11 seasons, looks like now Martin is ready to call it a day.

According to the Cowboys reporter Todd Archer, on February 20, Martin told Jerry about his decision to retire. Jerry Jones accepted it even though it would make their 2025 season hard. Notably, Martin underwent season-ending surgery on his right ankle in December, last year. The injury first occurred in Week 11 against the Houston Texans. It is not known if the injury prompted him to quit.

Meanwhile, the retirement news came out on his son Hudson’s 1st birthday as his wife Morgan shared a series of photos on Instagram. She also shared a video of how the child grew up over the last year. Heartwarming! Morgan, sister of Bengals TE Tyler Eifert, met him through his brother. He and Zack Martin were teammates and roommates at Notre Dame. As their love grew, they got hitched in 2016. The couple has a daughter and a son together. Martin has decided to hang his cleats to spend more time with his two bundles of joy, but Dallas has a lot to fill post his retirement because they are losing none other than one of the greatest offensive linemen in franchise history.

Answering Jerry’s hesitation to recruit him, Martin quickly ascended to one of the best guards in the league after converting from left tackle out of Notre Dame. He made his first of seven first-team All-Pro rosters in his rookie year, becoming the first rookie offensive lineman to earn the honors since 1947 and the first Cowboys rookie to make the team since 1969. Throughout 11 seasons, he allowed only 20 sacks and was responsible for just seven accepted holding penalties in his career, making the NFL’s All-Decade team for the 2010s. And guess what?

The 6′ 4″ 315 lbs athlete, before battling the injuries lately, missed just 11 regular season games through the first 10 years of his career, playing 162 games. He only recorded 7 holding penalties in his career. Martin is expected to one day be in the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But hasn’t his retirement brought him much-needed relief for Jerry?

Zack Martin’s retirement: a breather for Jerry Jones?

The Cowboys owner already announced their plans to free up cap space by restructuring the contract of Dak Prescott. But now, they have a much-needed relief. They earlier restructured Martin’s contract in 2024, which became void in 2025.

If Jerry Jones designates him as a post-June 1 cut, they will have around $26.46 million dead cap, which they could stretch over the next 4 years. The Cowboys will save $15.8 cap space. However, they would need to pay $26.46 upfront. Amid these things, the NFL also gave additional relief.

On February 19, they announced the 2025 salary cap will be in the $277.5-281.5 million range. It is a significant increase from a $255.4 million salary cap in 2024. Over the last 2 years, the cap has increased by $53 million, showing an upward trend.

But Zack Martin has put Jerry Jones in a fix. They wanted to prepare a team that would win the Super Bowl. Now, they would need more powerful players.