Nearly 24 hours after word broke of a contract that supposedly will make Cowboys guard Zack Martin the highest-paid player at his position in all of football, the specific details have yet to emerge.
And all that the implies, possibly.
The only leak regarding the deal comes from the initial report that it’s a six-year extension, that will surpass the contract the Jaguars gave to guard Andrew Norwell in March. Norwell, a former Panther, received a five-year, $66.5 million deal with $30 million fully guaranteed at signing.
But here’s the thing: Martin, who entered the NFL the same year Norwell did, already was due to make $9.341 million in 2018 under the fifth-year option payable to first-round picks. Undoubtedly, the “highest paid” claim is based on the “new money,” not total value of the contract at signing.
Which means that, when adding in the $9.341 million that Martin already was due to make, a “new money” average north of $13.3 million will drop, possibly below Norwell’s $13.3 million per year on a five-year deal. Which could explain why no details of the deal have been released.
Eventually, they will be. By then, however, it will be a lot harder to unbake the “Martin is the highest paid guard in football” cake.