The Dallas Cowboys suffered a brutal blow on Thursday afternoon after news broke that guard Zack Martin is retiring from the NFL.
Martin spent 11 seasons with the Cowboys from 2014 to 2024. He became one of the greatest offensive linemen the league has seen, making nine All-Pro teams. But the former Notre Dame star will be hanging it up without a conference championship appearance, let alone a Super Bowl, and former wide receiver Dez Bryant has taken notice.
Bryant and Martin played four seasons together under head coach Jason Garrett. During Garrett's tenure, several Dallas stars, including Tony Romo, DeMarcus Ware, and Jason Witten, were seen by some as having their legacies negatively impacted by the Cowboys—and Martin was no exception.
It appears Bryant agrees that some of his former teammates could have had a different career as well, subtly targeting Garrett with a cryptic post on X.
Although it is unclear what Bryant actually meant with his post, the talk surrounding Martin after his retirement involves the Cowboys "wasting" his career. NFL fans took to social media to leave their thoughts.
"Martin was the last piece remaining of what will forever be my favorite Cowboys team of all time, and we wasted every one of them. The 2014 Cowboys will always have a special place in my heart," one fan said.
"Cowboys really wasted T.Smith and Zack Martin’s career smh," added another.
"Cowboys really wasted Zack Martin’s career," wrote a third.
"I hate that the Cowboys wasted the careers of Jason Witten, Tony Romo, and now Zack Martin just to name a few," commented a fourth.
"With the retirement of Martin the Cowboys have wasted another All Pro talent and in this case HOF career! Great work Jerry!" posted a fifth.
"That now makes 3 generational talents on the offensive line that the Cowboys have wasted. Thank you Mr. Martin," added a sixth.
Although the Cowboys have found success in the regular season over the past 30 years, they have not seen any in the postseason. In fact, the last time they made the NFC championship was in the 1995 season, which is also their most recent Super Bowl run.
