Eagles Superstar Lane Johnson Salutes Cowboys Legend Zack Martin As “the Most Dominant” On His Retirement Announcement

After 11 incredible seasons anchoring the Dallas Cowboys offensive line, Zack Martin has officially decided to hang up his cleats. A generational talent and a sure-shot Hall of Famer, Martin will leave behind a legacy of utter dominance and excellence in the trenches. His impact was so influential in his position that even a rival player like Lane Johnson, who is an NFL tackle royalty himself, couldn’t stop himself from tipping his hat over to Martin’s illustrious career.

Reacting to a post announcing Martin’s retirement, the Eagles superstar on “X” first congratulated Martin for being amongst the most “dominant & talented players” of the NFL. The reigning Super Bowl champ also highlighted Martin’s unreal consistency over the years—“gold standard, in and out,” said Johnson.

For a player of Zack Martin’s caliber, these were fitting words from Lane Johnson. From the moment, Jerry Jones & Co. drafted Martin 16th overall in the 2014 NFL draft, the Notre Dame alum has been balling every single year.

His rookie year still remains one of the most impressive debut season performances of all time as his exploits saw him earn First-Team All-Pro honors as a rookie. Throughout his 11-year-long career, Martin was nearly unmatched in his ability to control the line of scrimmage, open running routes for RBs, and keep his quarterback upright.

The best display of these qualities came during the Cowboys’ 2016 season when Martin’s reliability and solidity as an OT helped Ezekiel Elliott enjoy a 1,631-yard rushing season. Add to these qualities, his relentless work ethic and football IQ and it’s no surprise why he was a nine-time Pro Bowler.

Now that the dust has settled on Martin’s career, the next achievement that he can light up his resume is a Hall of Fame induction—a topic deeply being pondered by the netizens.

Will Zack Martin be a first-ballot Hall of Famer?

The widespread discourse that emerged post Zack Martin’s retirement was regarding the Cowboys legend’s Hall of Fame prospects.

Unsurprisingly, the major consensus among netizens pointed towards Martin as deserving of a first-ballot Hall of Famer—majorly for his longevity and for his unreal stat of having more All-Pro selections [9] than holding calls [7] in this period.

A few however didn’t see Martin being a first-ballot player. In their eyes, the Cowboys Offensive Tackle having no Super Bowl trophies will act as a deterrent. Regardless, Martin will be a HoF’er, agreed everyone.

All said and done, it’s heartening to see rival players and fans uniting to pay respect to one of the most underrated greats of the last decade. As far as offensive tackles go, Martin wasn’t just the best, he was the gold standard—as rightly summed up by Johnson.