Let’s rewind the tape: Dak Prescott’s 2024 season ended…abrupt and fiery. A partial tendon avulsion in Week 9 (translation: his hamstring tried to quit football), surgery, and a five-game skid that left Dallas scrambling. But Dak’s no stranger to comebacks. After all, this is the guy who turned a 2016 fourth-round draft slot into Offensive Rookie of the Year. Now, rehabbing with the focus of The Karate Kid waxing on/off, he’s eyeing a return: “Everything’s on the right track. I’m excited.”

“I’ll be ready for the first game when anything matters—and very, very ready,” Dak Prescott declared with the swagger of Rocky Balboa eyeing a comeback, his grin as wide as the Texas sky. The Dallas Cowboys QB, sidelined since November with a gnarly hamstring tear, dropped the update fans craved: He’s healing, hungry, and hellbent on making 2025 the year.

Remember 2021? He threw for 403 yards and 3 TDs in his first game back from a gruesome ankle injury. Or 2024’s midnight thriller vs. Pittsburgh, where he tossed a game-winning TD at 1 AM like a dude ordering late-night tacos. This isn’t just resilience—it’s mythology.

But beneath the optimism? A bittersweet farewell to the man who’d guarded his blindside for nearly a decade—Zack Martin, the human fortress now trading cleats for a gold jacket. If Prescott’s the Cowboys’ heartbeat, Martin was its spine—unbreakable, steady, and always upright. Drafted in 2014, Martin anchored an O-line that felt like a Marvel superhero squad (Tyron Smith! Travis Frederick!).

“Zack’s the Best”: A farewell to the Iron Curtain by Prescott

Across 11 seasons, Zack Martin conceded just 15 penalties over 10,562 snaps. Let that sink in: as many flags in 11 frickin’ seasons as the Ravens conceded every two games in 2024 (140 in 19). “Hard to fathom a locker room without Zack,” Dak Prescott admitted, his voice softer than a Texas twang. “He’s been a warrior. When he spoke, you listened.” Martin’s résumé? Poetry in pads: 9 Pro Bowls, 7 All-Pro nods, and a work ethic so relentless he played through a 2024 ankle injury until surgery forced him to tap out.

“Look at the stat of the holding penalties and All-Pros—I think that speaks for itself. First-ballot guy. Yeah, incredible, incredible career. Sad that he’s hanging it up but happy for him.” His retirement isn’t just a loss—it’s the end of an era where Dallas’ trenches were art. But here’s the kicker: Martin’s legacy isn’t just stats. It’s the time he body-slammed a Bills defender for a late hit on Dak, earning a penalty but proving loyalty > rulebooks. “You can’t replace him with one guy,” Prescott sighed. “It’ll take all of us.”

While Dak mends and Martin reminisces, Dallas is buzzing with change. New head coach Brian Schottenheimer’s energy has infected the facility like a Ted Lasso montage. “You can already feel the difference,” Prescott grinned. “Passion. Energy. It’s exciting.” Translation: After years of playoff heartbreak (see: every January since 1996), the ‘Boys are rebooting.

But challenges loom. Martin’s exit leaves a hole wider than Jerry Jones’ wallet. The O-line? A patchwork quilt. Prescott’s backup, Cooper Rush, floundered so hard last season, fans begged for Trey Lance—Trey. Lance. And the draft? Rumor is Dallas might snag a QB prospect, because nothing says ‘faith in Dak’ like hedging bets.

In football, as in life, endings birth beginnings. Martin’s retirement is a stanza closed, but Prescott’s story? Still verse after verse of grit. The Cowboys’ culture—a blend of Texas-sized pride and soap opera drama—thrives on this tension. From Roger Staubach’s “Hail Mary” to Emmitt Smith’s rushing crown, Dallas lore is written by those who dare to fight.

As the sun sets on Martin’s career, Prescott’s dawn approaches. “I’m not putting a timeline on it,” he says, but you can bet he’s counting days. And when he takes that first snap in 2025, behind a reshuffled line, it’ll be more than a comeback—it’ll be an ode to the giants who paved his way.

So here’s to Zack, the ultimate leader—leads by example, doesn’t have to say much, but when he does, you’re all ears. And to Dak, the phoenix. In Dallas, legends don’t retire—they reload. “The goal every season is to win a Super Bowl,” Prescott once said. For Cowboys Nation, that dream’s still alive—just ask the guy with the hamstring of steel and a heart bigger than AT&T Stadium.