Nine-time Pro Bowler with Cowboys teases NFL retirement in the near future

As Dallas Cowboys guard Zack Martin prepares for year No. 11 in the NFL, his future is cloudy. Not necessarily his future with the Cowboys, but more specifically the NFL as a whole.

On Tuesday, Martin discussed that future and left the door more than a bit open on the idea of retirement. As Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News detailed, Martin retiring after the 2024 season is "in the realm of possibilities."

“I’m not saying 100%, but I think it’s definitely in the realm of possibilities,” Martin told The Dallas Morning News. “And that’s one thing I don’t want to do. For myself, I don’t want to be thinking, ‘Oh, this is it. This is it.’ I want to stay in the moment, and I want to play the best that I can play at this point and be the best right guard this team needs on a weekly basis. And then after the season, we’ll figure out what’s going on.”

Martin, who turns 34 this season, missed the start of training camp last summer due to a contract dispute, which was eventually worked out. The veteran guard admitted that he felt like he was "always playing catch up" due to the holdout.

But even with Martin feeling like he wasn't quite himself last season, the Cowboys star earned a ninth Pro Bowl selection and was named first-team All-Pro for the seventh time in his career.

While the idea of retirement looms large over Martin, he's also preparing for a big season that features contract question marks around a number of his teammates also. For now, Martin's focus remains entirely on football and help the Cowboys succeed this year. But after? That's anyone's guess.