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Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Zack Martin.
The pantheon of the Greatest Professional Athletes Who Never Won A Championship gained another member when longtime Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Zack Martin retired on February 20.
Martin, arguably the dominant guard of his generation, was a 9-time NFL All-Pro and 9-time Pro Bowler over 11 seasons — all with the Cowboys — and not only never won a Super Bowl, he never even played in the NFC Championship Game.
That didn’t stop Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon from putting Martin on his list of the “Greatest NFL Draft Picks” of the last 25 years — outside of Top 10 picks — just 4 months after his retirement from professional football.
The Cowboys selected Martin in the first round (No. 16 overall) out of Notre Dame in the 2014 NFL draft. He’ll almost assuredly be a first ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer.
Since 2000, 5,350 players have been selected in the NFL draft, with 307 becoming Pro Bowlers and 39 becoming Hall of Famers — so far.
“Only 13 players in NFL history have earned more first-team All-Pro honors than Martin (seven),” Gagnon wrote on June 26. “He’ll eventually be in Canton. He probably should have been the No. 1 pick in this draft (it’s him or Khalil Mack).”
Martin Dominated Competition From Start
While Martin didn’t win a championship, he won at life. Man, did he win at life.
The Indianapolis native raked in approximately $111.9 million in career earnings, the bulk of which came on a 6-year, $84.1 million contract extension he signed in June 2018. That makes him one of the highest paid linemen in NFl history.
From ESPN: “Martin’s seven first-team All-Pro selections also are tied with Hall of Famers Randall McDaniel and John Hannah for the most among guards all time, according to ESPN Research. The only player with more first-team All-Pro selections since Martin entered the NFL in 2014 is retired Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald (8). Martin also had only seven accepted holding penalties in his career, equaling his number of first-team All-Pro nods.”
Cowboys Moved Quickly to Replace Martin
The Cowboys didn’t wait long to find Martin’s replacement, drafting University of Alabama guard Tyler Booker in the first round (No. 12 overall) of the 2025 NFL draft.
Booker, who just turned 21 years old in April, has earned glowing praise for his work to this point in the offseason.
“Despite the padless practices, Booker has impressed with his willingness to learn and work,” ESPN’s Todd Archer wrote on June 24. “He has been with the starters from the first OTA through the minicamp, so there’s no pretense about what is expected. He is being viewed the same way the Cowboys have viewed Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin and Tyler Smith: as a Day 1 starter.”
Booker, 6-foot-5 and 321 pounds, was part of an incredible run on offensive linemen to kick off the 2025 draft — he was the fourth of 8 total offensive linemen drafted in the first round.
His utter domination on the college level also shows a player ready to step in and dominate NFL competition as well. At Alabama, Booker was a 2-time team captain, 2-time All-SEC selection and earned All-American honors in 2024 while making 25 starts over his final 2 seasons. Booker left school with one year of eligibility remaining.
Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame
