Zack Martin and opportunity cost

[817Gill]

I think we have become overly paranoid about the team spending money on players.

Right. This signing is just as necessary as any. You would think after the whole left guard situation fans would welcome tying down Z-Mart. In this era you can only pay one side of the ball or position group. Choosing the O-line as your high price personnel group is a great choice, especially when they are perennial All-Pros and are all under 28.

 

[817Gill]

Well Av, when was the last time this team did an “outstanding job” of managing their talent and cap space? The “paranoia” may be there based on history.

It's not unfounded paranoia, but moves like this are just plain logical and necessarily. Future HOFer who plays in the trenches is as safe as you can get. I'd be a thousand times more worried if we were giving a skill position guy this money as their games are mostly reliant on dynamic athleticism.

 

[817Gill]

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.

Yeah I'm a fan of this new plan Stephen has put into place. I know it's taken a few years of him having significant personnel control for the plan to really begin rolling, but now as the bigger picture is being revealed it's becoming clear that this strategy is one that works. Look at the eagles and rams. Both teams invest money and resources into offensive and defensive lines, and allow role players to man skill positions in a by-committee basis. Say what you want about their QB's and willingness to spend, but the basic team building strategy is the same.

 

[RS12]

The opportunity cost of not signing Martin is Chaz Green starting at RG.

Post of the day.

 

[817Gill]

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.

Exactly. Whether a SB happens or not, it's nice to root for a team that has a logical plan to building a contender. If (big if) the coaching staff improves and evolves, the team could be set up for greatness.

 

[RS12]

Some of you people dont see the forrest for the trees. Here is what this is really about: Not giving Dak a reason to regress and to actually see what he is before paying him. Reasons at the top of the list for him to regress, poor O Line play. Protect him, give Zeke room to run, allows you to make an accurate assessment of Dak.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

We are set at OL and the deals are all reasonable

OL contracts left on the books

Tron is due 6/68m.................0m gtd
TFred is due 6/47m...............9m gtd
LCollins is due 2/11-13m....... fully gtd
CWilliams is due 4/5.4m........3.2m gtd

ZMartin guess 7/89m............38m gtd

People like to whinge about the money that we pay for the OL but Tyron and TFred both signed team friendly deals. $11m and $8m AAV respectively were well below market at the time and continue to look better. Each could reasonably expect $3m or more on the wide open VFA market.

Even Martin appears to be getting around what the top VFA were getting the last couple of years but as a significantly better player than what has been available in that arena I expect he could have gotten more as well had he tested the market.

 

[Verdict]

You would not have gotten a first round pick and more for an OG slated to make over $13MM a year.

I mean your premise is that it might not be wise to pay an OG all that money but then turn around and claim some team will not only pay him that much money BUT ALSO give up prime picks for him?

That's right. Some teams have a ton ** cap space. Just because some other team would do it doesn't mean we should.

 

[Verdict]

When you have a future HOF'er in the prime of his career you pay him if you have the ability to pay him. The Cowboys do and so they are going to sign him to an extension. I mentioned yesterday, before the extension the team was going to be 72 mil under the cap next season. They could actually get a contract worked out with D-Law as well if they wanted to. Personally, I only see that happening if he puts another a double-digit sack season again. We are in excellent shape salary cap wise. For the first time ever.

Yeah. Let's be in a hurry to run it back in the ditch. Lol. It's only a salary cap!

 

[Verdict]

When you draft a guy and he becomes the best at his position in football and a perennial all-pro... you re-sign him, period.

Martin is a huge plus on the field. A huge plus in the locker room. A hard worker, young, and very likely the most coveted interior OL in football.

It would have been the pinnacle of lunacy to let homegrown takent like that walk away... particularly when he is not even really in his prime yet.

Ian Rappoport called this signing a “no brainer” by the Cowboys. That’s because nobody in the NFL would have let Zack go.

It depends on the price. Many said the same thing about Dez.

 

[garyv]

Pay the elite
Replace the avg
That is how you manage cap

I 100% agree but I might be one of the few and I say this knowing we will have 70 to 80 million Cap Space
for next season and than even after. I would offer a 2nd or 3rd Round Pick for Earl Thomas and sign him
to a 3 or 4 year deal for 12 million a season. I like having him in my secondary and knowing I probably have
the top Safety in the NFL. I think at age 29 hes solid till age 33 and have no issues with giving him that contract.
I think it puts us right there with the Eagles and will go one step futher because talent wise we are right with them.

 

[BourbonBalz]

Well, according to some on here we need to stay away from elite players and just sign a bunch of average players at every position. You know, be fiscally responsible. LOL

 

[Verdict]

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

I think they could have pryed a 1st and 4th for him to an OL starved team with cap room.

 

[Verdict]

I think we made the right decision paying Martin.

Depends on the numbers and after the fact, injuries

 

[Verdict]

You can bring the injury issue up for any player at any position, not just Martin or just a guard. So, do you never sign any of your best players to big contracts because they MIGHT get hurt??? I don't want to be Cleveland.

You can't control injuries. But injuries hurt exponentially more on large contract players so the large contracts carry more injury risk damage to the cap.

 

[BourbonBalz]

You can't control injuries. But injuries hurt exponentially more on large contract players so the large contracts carry more injury risk damage to the cap.

Of course they do, but your post seems to indicate you don't want to sign great players to big contracts because they MIGHT get hurt. That's the way to be a cellar dweller every year. You can't play that game unless you're talking about a player that has a history of injuries, otherwise you're just playing a guessing game. Players get hurt, but you've still got to sign some players to big contracts if you want to be competitive.

 

[Verdict]

The sign all your best player crowd would want to pay whatever it takes to sign these guys coming up:

Martin
Lawrence
Irving
Dak
Zeke
Resign Lee

That could happen, but I don't think it's likely. The higher the individual contracts are the fewer of them you get to keep, or you end up with zero depth.

 

[BourbonBalz]

The sign all your best player crowd would want to pay whatever it takes to sign these guys coming up:

Martin
Lawrence
Irving
Dak
Zeke
Resign Lee

That could happen, but I don't think it's likely. The higher the individual contracts are the fewer of them you get to keep, or you end up with zero depth.

And if you don't have some of the best talent at some positions, you never compete for championships. You not going to compete for a Super Bowl (or even the playoffs) if you don't have some great players on your roster. It's got to be a balancing act. You can't have Pro Bowlers at every position, but you also can't have average players at every position. Of those listed above, Lawrence, Dak (assuming the FO decides he's the guy), and Zeke have to be resigned. Martin has already been or is in the process so he's a given. Irving and an older Lee are question marks.

 

[BourbonBalz]

The bottom line is you have to keep some of your best players or you're always chasing talent either in the draft (which is a gamble) or in free agency. It doesn't do any good to draft well and let all of your best players walk. You can't keep them all, but you can and have to keep many of them.

 

[Sydla]

That's right. Some teams have a ton ** cap space. Just because some other team would do it doesn't mean we should.

Sure, some teams have a lot of cap space. And if Martin was a free agent, I suspect someone would pay him a big contract.

But I also suspect no team would trade multiple picks/players including a first round pick to then have to sign Martin to a huge contract within the next 12 months.