Three More Years For Louis Murphy
December 26th, 2014
Louis Murphy proved he was no Tiquan Underwood this season. Or maybe he didn’t?
Regardless, Murphy, like Underwood, came off the street and made a significant contribution to the Tampa Bay passing attack.
And he was rewarded with a three-year contract, per ProFootballTalk.com. Terms of the deal aren’t out there yet, but Joe suspects it’s nothing too significant. Joe would guess it’s $4.5 million over three years with one year guaranteed.
The St. Pete native and former Gators standout is on injured reserve with an ankle injury, but Murphy finished the season with 31 catches for 380 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games played. It was his most productive season since the 2010 campaign with the Raiders. He turns 28 in May.
Props to the Bucs for moving quickly. There’s no reason not to sign a guy like Murphy who provides quality depth. And he plays special teams, which Underwood did not.
December 26th, 2014 at 11:06 am
I like murph he got some attitude
December 26th, 2014 at 11:11 am
Uhmmm! Ok. 380yards = 3 year extension. (Scratching head) ok, well uhm congrats? Idk.
Uhm can’t we just have guys compete in the preseason and may the best man win? What am I missing here?
December 26th, 2014 at 11:16 am
As long as it’s around the league minimum 3 years is fine. A guy like Murphy is highly replaceable so hopefully they didn’t go overboard here.
December 26th, 2014 at 11:30 am
Quality depth signing…if he wasn’t flagged for the grasping and turning the face mask in the above pic he should have been.
December 26th, 2014 at 11:38 am
Love it. This is how you build the team. If they perform on our team then we pay them what they deserve. Let’s show jack smith a little love too and lansanah as well
December 26th, 2014 at 11:49 am
I like him. He has some drops but so does VJ. If we can get a decent QB and run a big boy offense he should get more targets, get him involved early. He can play for sure.
December 26th, 2014 at 12:00 pm
Good signing. Nice job this season Louis.
Murphy could have done much more in a balanced offense.
December 26th, 2014 at 12:09 pm
Nice signing, already getting the pieces signed when we draft Mariota 🙂
Now fix that O-line, get a proven OC, AND GET THAT PASS RUSH!!!
December 26th, 2014 at 12:13 pm
I agree with biff, good signing. I liked what I saw from Louis. He shows heart and want to.
If we could just get that franchise QB paired with a top notch OC. A guy can dream can’t he?
December 26th, 2014 at 12:15 pm
Its good to sign guys that want to be here and lwave their hearts on the field. Not to mention hes grwat for the community
December 26th, 2014 at 12:40 pm
I can see a 3 year contract with only one year guaranteed, but if the $4.5m is correct, it is overpaying.
I KNOW Murphy could have been had for less, probably $750,000 per year, considering he has had trouble sticking with a team. They could have increased the numbers with incentives (number of catches, yard, TDs, etc).
So if your numbers are right, this casts even more doubt on Jason Licht’s negotiation skills. Not a good sign when it comes to resigning David or free agent negotiations. Honestly, I don’t think he’s a good GM at all.
In regard to Murphy though, I think he earned a contract off. Good for him.
December 26th, 2014 at 12:42 pm
@DB55
I agree with you there. It is odd that he is given a contract before the season is over, and he’s on injured reserve too.
December 26th, 2014 at 12:43 pm
for the money i’m sure it makes sense, and he played with more desire and heart than m johnson\collins\EDS combined
December 26th, 2014 at 12:45 pm
Armchair GMs criticize Licht on any move he makes. murphy is an adequate 3rd wr. We need consistency in the roster and this guy was obviously not a problem like MJ, Barron, QB and OL.
I fully support this move and I expect LVD to get signed ASAP
December 26th, 2014 at 12:46 pm
@BuccaneerBonzai: Jason Licht does not negotiate contracts, Mike Greenburg is responsible for contract negotiations.
December 26th, 2014 at 3:20 pm
He deserved to paid a modest contract, Murphy played well this well for us this year, I’m willing to bet he’ll produce in a real offense, with a real qb throwing him the ball.
December 26th, 2014 at 4:06 pm
He did play his butt off and never gave up. Big catch in the Steelers game. He is good depth.
December 26th, 2014 at 4:08 pm
Joe, I’m not sure of your point comparing Murphy to Tiquan Underwood, but just for the record, Underwood had 24 catches for 440 yards (18.3 ypc) and 4 TDs in 2013; all from a backup QB named Glennon.
tickrdr
December 26th, 2014 at 4:28 pm
Just imagine how good his numbers could have been if the worst personnel evaluator in the league, Lovie Smith, hadn’t cut him at the end of training camp.
Murphy was great as a rookie in Oakland and then lost his way for a few years. Good for him to become a productive 3rd receiver, and in his home town too.
December 26th, 2014 at 5:29 pm
Congrats to Murphy. I believe he is an adequate 3rd receiver and like his attitude on the field. He also has deceptive speed. Good move to ensure he will be back Bucs.
December 26th, 2014 at 11:39 pm
John McKillop Says
“@BuccaneerBonzai: Jason Licht does not negotiate contracts, Mike Greenburg is responsible for contract negotiations.”
Not saying you are wrong, but since when? Was Mike Greenburg doing it for Dominick too? Because the type of contracts changed when Jason Licht came. So how would that change be accounted for?
December 26th, 2014 at 11:50 pm
And, btw, I’m not certain he deserved more than a shot at a roster sppot this year. 380 yards? A good number 3 gets about 700 yards, like Ike Hilliard did in 2007.
Ike had a little fumble issue, but he was mister reliable when we needed first downs.
I’m wondering if everyone is so used to losing that they’ve lowered their standards to where 380 yards is acceptable. It really isn’t. I mean, it’s only around 34 yards per game. A good number 3 should get close to 44 yards per game…at least.
At most he should not get more than $1m per year.
December 26th, 2014 at 11:56 pm
@John McKillop
I read on the bucs site. I think he works together with Jason Licht during contract negotiations, but I don’t think he is solely in charge of them. It just would not make sense, since the contracts under Dominick were so different.
But you are right, he is involved in some way. I’m thinking he is the team accountant, in charge of budget, so when a contract needs negotiating, his input is needed. But that doesn’t mean he actually handles the negotiations.