Well, Zack Martin just showed the Dallas Cowboys just how serious he is. On Tuesday, when players were scheduled to report to training camp in Oxnard, California, Martin was absent for what could be the first of many days.

Earlier this month, ESPN reported that the six-time First-Team All-Pro was considering not showing up to camp following the Cowboys' "lack of interest" in reworking his deal. With the current CBA rules, that would mean a daily $50,000 fine for Martin, which led many to believe he wouldn't go down that route and instead, he'd report and decline to practice (a hold-in, in other words). 

And yet, Martin knows where he stands. And he probably understands that the incoming fines will matter very little if he ultimately gets the pay bump he's seeking. And honestly, the raise he undoubtedly deserves.

Let's face it: Martin is doing this now for several reasons but mainly because of the fact that he's dropped all the way down to 8th among the highest-paid offensive guards. If you've watched NFL football recently, you'd know Martin is the best there is at the position. Especially in a league where offensive line play has been in a decline over the last few years.

In four of the last five seasons, Martin has earned First-Team All-Pro honors, with the lone exception coming in 2020 when he missed six games. That's been the only year of his nine-year career when he's not made the cut at least as a Second-Team All-Pro, by the way.

Martin has been the best and most reliable player on the Cowboys in recent memory. Entering a season with multiple question marks around the offensive line, not solving this immediately would be foolish from the front office. 

First and foremost, the numbers Martin is reportedly asking for aren't going to make a huge impact on the team's salary cap situation. After all, Martin is currently making close to $7 million less than the top of the market headlined by Chris Lindstrom (Atlanta Falcons) and Quenton Nelson (Colts), who are making $20.5 million and $20 million, respectively.

The Cowboys right guard is better than the two of them and it would take only a relatively slight bump to get him to the top of the market. 

Martin is currently scheduled to make $13.5 million in cash in 2023. The front office could bump his cash inflow by raising his salary and/or an additional signing bonus. Currently, Martin's cap hit sits at $11M for the 2023 season. Although that goes up to $23.3M next year, Martin's contract has two voidable years after that that can help the Cowboys spread out his cap hit over a longer period of time.

It should prove to be an easy fix.

Some have questioned his age as he'll turn 33 in November but the reality is he's shown no signs of slowing down. With two back-to-back All-Pro years, it's more likely that he still plays at an elite level for multiple years than he is to suddenly decline.

Simply put, Martin deserves what he's demanding and it wouldn't break the salary cap for the team. The Cowboys should write the check and get it over with.

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