FRISCO, Texas -- Zack Martin approached his retirement announcement the way he did every single game he played for the Dallas Cowboys.
Confident and prepared.
One of the best players in franchise history smiled as he took his spot on the podium between Jerry and Stephen Jones. Martin unfolded his opening statement and began to read.
Over the next 13 minutes, Martin took the audience through a career that began at a prep school in Indianapolis, made a stop at Notre Dame then ended with 11 sterling years with the Cowboys. The perennial All-Pro guard spoke about how football gave him purpose and how he was fortunate to live a dream so many others can only imagine.
Martin thanked family, friends, coaches and a long list of teammates, many of who were at The Star for Wednesday's goodbye.
"I did not make this decision lightly," Martin said, wrapping up his statement before taking questions. "It came after long thought and prayer.
"The time has come for my football journey to reach its end. As I step away, I do so with a full heart, knowing I gave it everything I had."
He paused for a few seconds to compose himself.
"I was always captivated when coaches were talking about maximizing your full potential," Martin said. "That was always the goal.
"After 27 years of football, I can confidently say I've done that."
Martin was the consensus first-round pick for the Cowboys in the 2014 draft, a selection that received pushback from only one person -- Jerry , who was enamored with quarterback Johnny Manziel. The veteran retires knowing the Cowboys owner now considers him alongside Larry Allen in the pantheon of offensive linemen to grace the franchise.
Fun fact: at the NFL's rookie symposium shortly after he was drafted by Dallas, Martin took a selfie of himself with Allen's bust at the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
"What a privilege it is for the Dallas Cowboys to have you having been the player you've been, the only team you ever played for in professional sports," Jones said. "We're honored.
"We all know the great Larry Allen is somebody we were proud of. And I want to tell you right now, having known him personally and been involved in every kind of serious decision he was involved in, you guys are twins. You really are.
"We all know that a lot of people call Larry the greatest. Now we've got a debate coming on."
Martin alluded to the owner's preference for Manziel in his opening remarks, saying, "even though it took a little bit of convincing back in 2014, thank you for believing in me.''
Stephen was unyielding in his support for Martin on draft night. The elder Jones joked that's why the three men were arranged the way they were on the podium for Wednesday's press conference.
"The reason you're sitting in the middle, I think, is because they wanted to separate me and Stephen over here,'' Jerry said. "I still have knots on my shin from him kicking me under the table when we were sitting there discussing that on draft day."
Martin made an impact -- not the kind he expected -- from the start. In his first team period of the offseason program as a rookie, a collision with Sean Lee resulted in the linebacker missing the season.
Lee called Martin Tuesday night to rehash that memory, among others, as he congratulated his friend on an outstanding career.
Tony Romo was one of many former teammates on hand for Martin's official announcement. Now a color analyst for CBS, he recalled the rookie's first padded practice of training camp when the defense ran a tight end slice, having the defensive end slice inside while the defensive tackle loops outside.
"I remember watching it," Romo said. "He went boom and pushed the D-tackle and then helped our offensive tackle by moving him further away, then reset with his left hand and knocked back the defensive end.
"That is one of the hardest things for any rookie. I looked over, thinking 'this one is a little different now.'
"It was amazing."
Martin would go on to be named first-team All-Pro at his position seven times, tying him with Bob Lilly and Randy White for the most first-team nods in franchise history. He was selected to the Pro Bowl nine times.
Allen (10 trips) is the only offensive lineman in club history with more.
"He's as special of a player as you can find," Romo said of Martin. "I think Zack Martin and Larry Allen are the two best guards in the history of the NFL, almost by any metric you look at."
Arguably the most amazing stat of all is that Martin was called for holding on just seven of the 11,184 snaps in his storied career. Now, he can tell the truth.
He held more than seven times, right?
"Oh yeah, most definitely," Martin said, laughing. "Those were just the accepted ones. I had a few third-and-longs they declined, but I'll take it."
When Martin reflected on his career Wednesday, it was about the captain's workouts and fishing trips with the offensive line as much as it was about what he did on the field. He went into this past season knowing it could be his last, but wanted to wait until around the Super Bowl to see if the itch to resume training hit him the way it did his first 11 seasons in the league.
It never did.
Martin believes he'll remain in football in some capacity going forward. But that's not on his mind at the moment. He's looking forward to spending time with his family.
Down the road the conversation will turn to his anticipated induction in the Ring of Honor at AT&T Stadium and the Hall of Fame.
"When I came into the league, none of that stuff was even on my radar," Martin said. "I was just trying to get here and make sure I didn't screw it up.
"It would be a great honor one day."
Jerry was asked if he'd commit to putting Martin in the Ring of Honor before the player finds himself on the Hall of Fame ballot in five years.
"Yes," Jerry said.
Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, who retired a few years ago, is fond of saying the journey is the reward. Those words have stuck with Martin.
"I will always be grateful for the journey," Martin said.
"I'm very at peace with my decision. I think I made the right call."
©2025 The Dallas Morning News. Visit dallasnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.