Trading Doug Martin?
October 30th, 2015
Trade and re-sign?
No, to the best of Joe’s knowledge, Doug Martin is not on the trading block.
And no, to the best of Joe’s knowledge, he has not been traded.
That doesn’t mean it won’t happen.
In an interesting baseball-hot-stove-league type of theory, Ken Patra of NFL.com believes the Bucs would be smart to trade Martin before Tuesday’s league trade deadline.
Doug Martin to Panthers
Finally healthy, Martin flashes playmaking in both the run and pass attack weekly and has been a broken-ankle maven this season behind a mediocre offensive line. The Dougernaut’s brand of power and elusiveness fits right into the Panthers’ offense. Yes, Jonathan Stewart has busted out in recent weeks, but hasn’t played 16 games since 2011, so we could assume he’ll get dinged-up at some point. With respect to Bowling Ball Tolbert, Fozzy Whittaker and Cameron Artis-Payne, Cam Newton needs a workhorse back to make the offense go. The Panthers’ yogurt-peddling quarterback has played at an MVP-level, but snagging Martin for the rest of the season — on the cheap — will ensure the Panthers have a solid backup plan if Stewart goes down, provide the 1-2 punch they’ve missed this year and keep J-Stew fresh for the playoffs.
After the Bucs declined Martin’s fifth-year option this offseason, the back will hit the open market in 2016 — his fantastic play now making that decision look dunderheaded. After Sunday’s epic collapse, it’s clear the Bucs are going nowhere in 2015. General manager Jason Licht needs to play both sides of the Martin card: flip two months of the tailback to a playoff contender for a mid-round pick, then try and re-sign him after the season.
Calling the Bucs “dunderheaded” for declining Martin’s fifth-year option is in itself dunderheaded. The guy was injury-prone and a shell of his rookie self the past two years, one of the worst running backs in the NFL. If anything, not re-upping Martin was responsible.
While Joe wants to vomit all over the floor with the thought of Martin playing for the Stinking Panthers, if the Bucs really could get a mid-round pick for Martin, and if they knew he wouldn’t sign with the Stinking Panthers, this is a helluva an idea.
Otherwise, trading Martin within the division is, well, dunderheaded.
Let’s be honest here: This is something right up Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht’s alley. After all, it was Licht who traded tight end Tim Wright twice in as many years.
October 30th, 2015 at 5:11 am
This is absolutely stupid. To a division rival? And be stuck with upright sims? Sounds exactly like something the bucs would do.
Then we can play the Panthers and watch him run all over us? This shouldn’t even be a thought. Just stupid.
October 30th, 2015 at 6:07 am
Nonsense. They ll keep for around 7/ 8 mill per year. Can’t start giving away for only good players when trying to get a new head coach next year to want to come to Tampa. Now. They ll have to overpay for next coach as
Bucs organization probably a laughing stock in most coaching circles
October 30th, 2015 at 6:08 am
Since mankind 7 mil off books next year. Give to douggie fresh
October 30th, 2015 at 6:09 am
Sorry mankins
October 30th, 2015 at 6:46 am
Yeah let’s make our team less relevant. Why not trade Evans, Jackson, and Winston. The whole idea is stupid and trading him to the stinking Panthers is down right idiotic.
October 30th, 2015 at 6:49 am
Now one player I would trade if we could someone with some dog in them or a high draft pick would be McCoy. He’s been nothing but a loser since he’s been here and doesn’t seem to make players around him better. I’d rather get a player that has some nasty too them and doesn’t tolerate the players around him loafing..
October 30th, 2015 at 6:52 am
We are all now dumber after reading that. Thank you.
October 30th, 2015 at 6:52 am
The Bucs should be in buy mode, not sell mode. Except for the head coach position that is.
October 30th, 2015 at 6:54 am
Not that anyone would give us a stale bag of chips for Lovie.
October 30th, 2015 at 6:56 am
Trading one of the few good football players this team has only makes sense if your name is incompetent Lovie Smith and lapdog Licht.
This duo has proven they have no clue what they are doing so this seems like just the sort of thing they would do. They are especially adept at getting rid of quality football players and replacing them with lesser quality players. Takes a special kind of irresponsible incompetence to do this on a regular basis.
I think I am going to vomit now.
October 30th, 2015 at 7:10 am
OK while I would hate to see this happen in the long run it makes a bit of sence… Just playing football business games… The BUCS are rebuilding… Bobby Rain Man Ryne (not sure of last name spelling YET) has as much up side as The Musle Hamster… In fact if memory serves he has a higher career yards per carry total then My favorite Marchian…
If your plan is to rebuild through the draft…. WHICH IT SHOULD BE IF YOUR THE BUCS (and looks as if it has been the last two years). Than trading The soon to be kitty food Musel Hamster to the Puttie Cats would be a would move LONG TERM…
I say if its a real option give it FULL consideration!!! The offense will be featuring an all pro QB in The Pride of Tampa Americas QB… So in a couple years time we should be able to pulg in any tail back and be successful… Is Blount in NE… Speaking of New England… How about them Dolphins!!! We should do what they did and fire our coach so we can beat good teams for a change!!!
October 30th, 2015 at 7:13 am
*a GOOD move Long Term
October 30th, 2015 at 7:13 am
Trading Martin for less than a 2 would be dumb.
You could get 2-3 firsts for McCoy though. Hate to say it but it might be worth it. If two firsts this year, we would have 3. That would fix the defense and replace him.
October 30th, 2015 at 7:16 am
And for the record… You folks thinking Lovie and crew have been dumping AMAZING talent need to answer the question as to why we were a losing team in the first place!!!!
I mean if Lovie inherited such an AMAZING group of players why have we fired are last 3 coaches before their contracts ended?!?!
So glad you smarties pants are not running things!!!!
October 30th, 2015 at 7:20 am
The only reason this discussion isn’t totally stupid is because Lovie and company were total morons in not picking up the 5th year option. I hope for Doug’s sake he wants to have a career and leaves here in the offseason to get as far away from Lovie as possible. Or hopefully they fire Lovie and he can see the light and stay.
October 30th, 2015 at 7:21 am
JAB83- keeping Martin is building through the draft. We drafted him, remember?
When you are a terrible football team you don’t get rid of the few good football players you have unless you are a terrible football team because you have a terrible HC and GM.
October 30th, 2015 at 7:27 am
Jab- this is a roster that the incompetent fool Lovie turned over 80% so the remaining 20% are the players he decided were quality. You keep painting yourself into a corner. Stop defending these incompetent fool pretending to know what they are doing in the face of empirical evidence like wins and losses.
October 30th, 2015 at 7:34 am
Right we drafted Martin and be has done NOTHING to help us be a better team!!! Well he did help us get Americas QB by being hurt the last two years!!! Now he might be able to help us get some help for our future… I would call that building through the draft…. So we agree
October 30th, 2015 at 7:37 am
In another note…who the hell is playing WR for us thus week? No VJax, and no L. Murphy? I haven’t seen any workouts or signings. Aww sh*t here we go. Another 50 point beat down…
October 30th, 2015 at 7:38 am
Buca should resign Martin now….not wait for him to hit the market….I think Doug would like to stay a BUc & play with Winston & Co…..Koetter is also key.
F+ck the Panthers!!!
October 30th, 2015 at 7:39 am
Thanks Joe for sharing the dumbest article I have ever read. The Bucs will do everything they can to resign him. If they trade him he will not choose to come back to a team in ’16 that will have won 5-6 games over the past two seasons. Would anyone do that? He would choose to play for a good team. I’m guessing he would end up in Dallas.
October 30th, 2015 at 7:41 am
@jab
You make no sense at all. Just stop talking. You sound stupid.
October 30th, 2015 at 7:41 am
JAB83 Says:
October 30th, 2015 at 7:34 am
Right we drafted Martin and be has done NOTHING to help us be a better team!!!
_____________________________________________________________
This is how pathetic the loser Lovie defenders are, bashing one of the few players on this team that would actually start on another team in this league. My name says it all.
October 30th, 2015 at 7:42 am
If you seriously believe that 80% of the roster was turned over in a year and they got all the guys they needed to be successful you are being extremely generous!!! If you think that that many people have been replaced because they thought they all sucked you are not football wise… Some of it has to do with cap and if you plan on building through the draft you have to clear room to sign people like The Musel Hamster if you decide to do so… Bringing in top flight FA and them not performing in the interem is not a coaches error… Its a players error… They will soon be out of a job and Lovie and gang will stay the course… You don’t have to like it but you should do yourself a favor and try to understand it!!! Rebuilding is a painful but important part of the process… Years past people understood this and allowed teams to do what they need while remaining a fan… If you have been a long time BUCS fan you would know because we have been down this road before…
October 30th, 2015 at 7:42 am
Jab- when healthy Martin has produced. With a halfway decent defense and a kicker we win more football games because Martin has done more than enough to help us win. You make zero sense. Enjoy that!
October 30th, 2015 at 7:50 am
Trade V-Jax is who they should trade for a 2nd rounder to Philly, Dallas, Green Bay, shoulda pulled that trigger when vjax was healthy and demand high but the DUNDERHEADS missed on that one but made a great trade for a kicker in xchange for a quality TE…. DUNDERHEADS
October 30th, 2015 at 7:55 am
Does the author honestly think trading him mid season when he’s having a career year is going to engender the type of good will that will lead Martin to come BACK in the offseason? Especially after not picking up his option? I haven’t even mentioned the fact that they’re suggesting trading him in-division!
This is a ridiculous article and I have no doubt The author was short of his word quota.
October 30th, 2015 at 7:56 am
Trading Martin would be stupid. Trading Martin to the Panthers would be incompetent. Trading Martin to the Panthers and then thinking he’d come back next year is insane.
October 30th, 2015 at 8:00 am
You do not trade in the division unless you know for sure that the guy’s career is over. Having said that, how successful are second contracts for running backs???
October 30th, 2015 at 8:04 am
The Bucs have the ability to use either the Transition or Franchise tags on Martin after the season. For 2015, the Franchise tag cost for a RB was about $10.9M and the Transition tag was about $9M.
The Transition tag cost is the same as the 2016 option would have been, so let’s give Jason Licht some credit for knowing the ropes. He declined the 2016 option on Martin to motivate him, knowing that he could apply the Transition tag if Martin had a big year. That seems pretty smart, and far from dunderheaded, in my opinion.
Anyone who trades for Martin in 2015 would be inclined to use their Transition or Franchise tags on him after the season, so the dream of trading him and then re-signing him as an unrestricted free agent is probably not realistic.
October 30th, 2015 at 8:06 am
Maybe Martin would appreciate being on a winning team and learn some much needed player leadership skills… If he likes being here so much why wouldn’t he come back for big BUCS????
And if a kicker is has lost us some games why blame a coach??? That’s called having your cake and eating it too…
It don’t make since trading him because most of you can’t see beyond your own little erlavent perspectives in life…
Trading The Musel Hamster would sting but it would not be a horrible move long term… RELEASING HIM or allowing him to walk at the end of the year for no good reason like say Michael Bennett… Now that would tick me off!!! Is this league there are no garuntees all you can bank on is debth… If you have it your good
October 30th, 2015 at 8:20 am
Very good points Johnny!!! I had not considered those two things!!!
October 30th, 2015 at 8:24 am
Doug Martin is not worth 7 million a year. 5 at absolute most!
October 30th, 2015 at 8:30 am
Just like anything else, cars, boats, houses, stocks, etc., Martin’s services are worth whatever the highest bidder will pay. The going rate for top-shelf running backs is between $9-11M per season. Is Martin a top-shelf running back? That’s a matter of opinion. His performance this season has been top-shelf so far. If he can keep the pace and stay healthy, he’s going to get PAID this off season.
October 30th, 2015 at 8:39 am
Jab
We’ve actually fired nearly all of our coaches before the end of their contracts, just like every other team.
I support Lovie 100 percent through next year. There are several reasons.
Off topic, was it Jimmy Johnson who went to the Cowboys and decided to trade their best player for 3 firsts? It was a genius move, even though the fans freaked. Resulted in hall of famers amd superbowls.
Gerald McCoy is our best player and has the most value. I would HATE to see him go, but if a team with 2 picks in the first round of the draft were to offer them both…the Bucs would be fools to refuse.
Combine those with our own first, we’d have 3 first rounders. We could replace McCoy, get a good defensive end AND a center. Rest pf the picks would plug the remaining holes on defense and boom. We are a playoff team.
October 30th, 2015 at 8:41 am
Not to mention pur cap would have plenty freed up
October 30th, 2015 at 8:42 am
Martin might better change his nickname to unappreciated gopher.
October 30th, 2015 at 8:45 am
As to Doug Martin, you people are hypocrites. EVERYONE was in favor of making Martin prove himself.
You are also stupid, because Lovie Smith has NOTHING to do with the contracts and finances of this team.
JASON LICHT DOES!!!
October 30th, 2015 at 8:56 am
I’m a big fan of Doug Martin, but with all the holes this team has to fill, I would trade him for the right pick.
October 30th, 2015 at 9:12 am
Note to self:
Ken Patra is an idiot, and so never take anything he writes seriously.
October 30th, 2015 at 9:17 am
Trade McCoy, V-Jax, Mankins… prolly get 2 firsts a 2nd and 3rd or 4th…. problem is lovie has to go he has bottomed this team out with gis washed up chitown signings and the other crappy moves… if he showed improvement anywhere or a light I say he has earned year 3 but if the glazers are prepared for 20,000 at ray jay keep lovie
October 30th, 2015 at 9:31 am
Well, this is the dumbest bunch of crap I’ve ever heard.
a) You know what would be a great way to stunt the growth of a blooming rookie quarterback? Trade away the guy taking all the heat off of him. The guy who has also been a flawless pass blocker, the best at his position in the league according to PFF.
b) This would also be a great way to ensure that the stadium is empty for the rest of the season…by trading away a fan favorite and one of three guys on this team that’s worth going to watch on Sundays. I would light my season tickets on fire, piss on them to put them out, and then mail them to Jason Licht if this happened.
October 30th, 2015 at 9:34 am
no free agents want to sign or play for this incompetent coaching staff and dysfunctional organization. Look at all the free agents the bucs made offers to last year that laughed at them and went elsewhere. it’s time for a real house cleaning and the glazers need to hire a real football guy not some ex buc player from the 6 or 7 good years the franchise had to make the living in the past crowd happy and not that stubborn fool Dungy either. Living in the past is flat out stupid and unproductive. They need a real football executive to come in and evaluate top to bottom and bring in his own staff, front office and coaching. The current structure at one buc has failed. The glazers have failed in hiring or making transition from their father running the show to them. Malcom would have never allowed this franchise to become such a laughing stock. Hell even culverhouse has more credibility than the glazer clowns running the show now.
October 30th, 2015 at 9:50 am
7 mil/yr are you high?
October 30th, 2015 at 9:55 am
He’s worth at least $7 million a year. They may just franchise him for a year anyway. He didn’t play well the last 2 years injuries or not. He didn’t deserve that extra year until he proved himself again which he’s done so far.
October 30th, 2015 at 9:59 am
It would be nice if the Bucs had an evil genius as HC/overlord of football operations, an established franchise QB that America is focused on, and a long tradition of winning in a proven system that seems to turn any no-name player into a pro bowler…alas we are not the New England Patriots. As such I think that getting rid of our few drafted players that have played well for us is foolish, especially when the results we’ve witnessed on free agency to replace these guys under Lovie and Licht has usually looked horrible. Keep Martin and resign him to a 4 year deal with 2 years guaranteed $$$…Sims is not a replacement for the Muscle Ham….I mean Dougernaut
October 30th, 2015 at 11:32 am
Nope. Don’t do it. Doug martin needs to be a buc for life.
October 30th, 2015 at 12:41 pm
@JAB83 Says – makes a bit of sence… Just playing football business games…?
You trade Doug Martin because we will get nothing for him when he signs with another team at the end of the season. Martin will be seeking a long term deal for more money than I would be willing to spend on a top level RB. Yes, Martin is having an outstanding year, however, does anyone really think he is going to stay healthy for another four years let alone the rest of this year? His value now is better than it will ever be. Plus we have a RB, Bobby Rainey, who can step right in with Charles Sims. Teams that are building for the future make a move liked this. It makes perfect sense. Get a draft pick or a starting CB, SS, DE or WR. No team would be willing to trade a first round draft pick let alone two for Gerold McCoy and his mega-contract. The players it makes sense to trade are Doug Martin, Evan Smith, Logan Mankins, Bruce Carter and Demar Dotson. Vincent Jackson is due like 12M in 2016 and you have to ask yourself if a WR at his age, is worth that kind of money? Then again, the Bucs have like 49M under the cap next year, so there is plenty of doe to go around. Jason, your time is right now, build for the future.
October 30th, 2015 at 1:38 pm
Oh boy! The vaunted 4th rd pick. I’d rather resign him next year if he’s healthy. He’s one of our 5 best players and only like 26?
October 30th, 2015 at 10:20 pm
Oh, ok. So let me get this straight. We trade Martin to Carolina for a draft pick, hopefully a high one.
And then in the off season, we resign him to a new and bigger contract and all is well.
So, what if Martin decides he likes winning and chooses to stay with Carolina because he found out that their money spends the same way Tampas money does, and he likes playing for a coach that knows what the fcuk hes doing.
Not, sure but I think we would be stuck holding a bag of shti on that one.
Who wrote this article? A Carolina fan? What next, trade Winston to New Orleans for a half dead armed Drew Brees?
There has to be smarter people out there writing sports articles, isnt there?
November 1st, 2015 at 3:26 am
@TAMPABAYBUCSFAN YOU SAID THE SMARTEST THING YET…RE-SIGN DOUG MARTIN NOWWW!!!!