Zack Martin and opportunity cost

[3rd_n_inches]

I think we made the right decision paying Martin.

 

[CPanther95]

Zero chance they would get a first round pick for the best 27 yo guard in the NFL and one that is on pace for a hof career? I'll bet money there are tons of teams that would give a late 1st round pick in a heartbeat

First round pick and his contract is way too costly for any team. First round guards have the highest hit rate of any position in the draft... Something like 83% chance of getting a quality starter. Teams would just draft one and get 5 cheap years out of him.

If they could get a first I'd trade him without a second thought. Since they won't, signing him is a no brainer. Cowboys have bet the farm that their running game will be so dominant that it can overcome their passing game and defensive shortcomings. They can ill afford to lose Martin.

 

[Doomsday101]

First round pick and his contact is way too costly for any team. First round guards have the highest hit rate of any position in the draft... Something like 83% chance of getting a quality starter.

Teams would just draft one and get 5 cheap years out of him.

Denver did not seem to mind paying Leary an avg of 9 mill per season.

 

[phildadon86]

Huh? Based on what exactly? There was just a quote I read by the OC that said Zeke was one of the hardest workers in the team. That doesn’t go along with your “feeling” erod.

He hates Zeke.

 

[CPanther95]

Denver did not seem to mind paying Leary an avg of 9 mill per season.

Denver didn't trade a first round pick for Leary.

 

[Doomsday101]

Denver didn't trade a first round pick for Leary.

No but they did not look to go cheap at G either.

 

[CouchCoach]

KC just signed Hitchens. That's it.

The list of teams that would be willing to commit a large contract to an OG and then give up a first round pick and other picks/players for the chance to give that OG a massive contract is likely non-existent.

You might have been able to squeeze a 2nd rounder out of a team for that privilege.

We'll just disagree on that because I've seen some teams do some really strange things when they want a player. KC tried to trade for Hitchens last off season, they targeted him. Liker I said, we'll never know.

 

[CPanther95]

No but they did not look to go cheap at G either.

I never said to go cheap . I said the Cowboys would be idiots NOT to lock up Martin long term.

 

[TwentyOne]

When you have a future HOF'er in the prime of his career you pay him if you have the ability to pay him.

A thesis. But what prove do you have for it ?

 

[CouchCoach]

That is what gets me, people get mad because Dallas does not jump into FA market and over paying, yet have a fit for signing our own pro bowl player like Martin who works great with the OL. There is no wasted time of getting acclimated with the other players along the OL or what is being asked of him. Dallas knows what they are getting in Martin. Seldom do you know what you will get in Outside FA

That's a fact, he is a known commodity but it's not about the player to me as much as the tilt to the O side with the highest paid OL and how that will affect the rest of the team. He is deserving of his pay, my question is should the Cowboys be the ones paying it?

But I never thought for a second he would not be renewed, regardless of the cost, because he's the first rookie OL to make All Pro in 50 years and Booger is not letting that feather in his cap blow away.

 

[Typhus]

There was never a doubt that this franchise was not going to make Martin the top paid Guard in the league... really?
If this team has done one thing right is that they finally invest in their Identity, and this OL is the Cowboys identity, and we saw that slip a bit last year loosing Leary and Free.
It happens that quickly, but rebounding now with a 2nd round investment in Williams, Fleming signing, and now getting Martin inked to a long term deal.
May be a dry spell for new rings, but the base model is in place and secured for a few years, I can live with an intelligent build model for now.
Time now for a few other pieces to fall in place, and this team has the identity to be ring worthy quicker than most are anticipating.

 

[CPanther95]

That's a fact, he is a known commodity but it's not about the player to me as much as the tilt to the O side with the highest paid OL and how that will affect the rest of the team. He is deserving of his pay, my question is should the Cowboys be the ones paying it?

But I never thought for a second he would not be renewed, regardless of the cost, because he's the first rookie OL to make All Pro in 50 years and Booger is not letting that feather in his cap blow away.

I hear you, but the time to adjust that "tilt" was before investing a ridiculous amount of draft capital in the OL. Now that they've gone down that road, they have to spend what it takes to play this theory out.

 

[Captain-Crash]

oh no, save the money and waste in on a WR, QB or RB... hurry hide the money.. with a better QB who can avoid the rush, we won't need good offensive linemen.. oh crap we already tried that.. who cares he's got a strong back for now, don't waste the money on the line.

 

[Super_Kazuya]

I hear you, but the time to adjust that "tilt" was before investing a ridiculous amount of draft capital in the OL. Now that they've gone down that road, they have to spend what it takes to play this theory out.

The theory will likely play to 8-8, like all of their other ones.
Signing Martin is a no brainer, but in a way it’s almost bad luck that the three first Round OL turned out to be quite this, HOF good. If they were just a little bit worse there would be a lot less expense with probably not much effectiveness lost.

 

[LocimusPrime]

They were just talking about this on the ticket at 11 am. A couple of peeps didn't like the idea of spending so much on an offensive line that wasn't even the best in the NFL

 

[Sydla]

Zero chance they would get a first round pick for the best 27 yo guard in the NFL and one that is on pace for a hof career? I'll bet money there are tons of teams that would give a late 1st round pick in a heartbeat

You can guarantee that?

Who was the last OL traded for a first round pick?

Jason Peters was traded for a late first rounder but he was an all pro LT, and tackles have more value than OGs.

 

[Silver Surfer]

Granted I think Martin is a solid person so you minimize the intangible portion of the train wreck, but the injury part can't be under appreciated.

What many people DO seem to under appreciate is the effect a player like Martin has on his unit, the offensive unit as a whole, and even the defense.

How much is it worth for Collins and Frederick to have a guy like Martin playing next to him?.... to pick up the stunts.... to help on combo blocks.... or even possibly help when they might not execute properly?

How much is it worth for Zeke to have that block made properly so the first guy he encounters on defense is a cornerback and not a tackle or linebacker, or for Dak to know in the back of his mind that he doesn't have to worry about the rush from up the middle?

How much is it worth for the receivers for Dak to have the time to allow them to get open or set his feet to make a good throw?

How much is it worth for the defense if Martin's opening holes for Zeke so the offense controls the clock or gets a lead and makes the other team's offense more one-dimensional in order to try to catch up?

There's a whole lot more opportunity cost to measure when evaluating re-signing a player like Martin.....

 

[Doomsday101]

That's a fact, he is a known commodity but it's not about the player to me as much as the tilt to the O side with the highest paid OL and how that will affect the rest of the team. He is deserving of his pay, my question is should the Cowboys be the ones paying it?

But I never thought for a second he would not be renewed, regardless of the cost, because he's the first rookie OL to make All Pro in 50 years and Booger is not letting that feather in his cap blow away.

I think yes, I have seen the havoc that a defense can have over a poor OL hell for a few season Dallas had one of those OL and you can't run much of any offense if you can't get it blocked up front. You lose in the trenches you will not have any success. Having said that Dallas will be able to work these contract to free up money they are all pretty much spread out. Meantime Dallas has turned a focus on defense over the last 3 drafts. I would also add because Dallas has not been spending like a drunken sailor in the past FA the cap is looking very good next year.

 

[Diehardblues]

It's not a hard cap. The salary cap is a virtual myth. You can manipulate it in any fashion you want, pulling money forward or pushing it back, to fit anybody on the roster your heart desires.

The cap is a built-in excuse for owners to keep player salaries down artificially in the "name of competitive balance". I don't disagree with that sentiment because we've watched Major League Baseball become a joke because of the lack of a cap. Each owner receives about $250 million apiece from the TV contracts. That's more than enough to run their entire organization's fiscal budget. Then, they can keep every dollar they earn otherwise from their advertising deals, tickets sales, parking fees, concessions, jersey sales, etc.

Owners are making well over $100 million a year clear.

Zack Martin will be the highest paid guard in NFL history for about 15 minutes. Three years from now, he'll be a bargain just like Tyron and Frederick.

I also think Stephen is done with the big contracts for offensive skill guys. I'd bet Zeke will be lucky to get paid again here (he's gonna be fat and slow in 3-4 years). They HOPE they have to pay Dak. I think the plan is to put the money at QB and up front on offense and defense, then just rotate through the draft for the other positions. I think that's a good plan in general, other than than those truly special guys you identify along the way.

Yep.. totally agree.

While you stated it correctly the difference in MLB is they don’t require them to use their revenue generated by TV and the gate. Many of those small market teams could spend and be more competitive if they chose to.

 

[Baileyneverfailey]

If you have a guard like Yanda or Martin, you pay them. Period.