“I Hate Contract Questions”
November 28th, 2015
Photo courtesy of Tampa Bay Buccaneers
When you have 941 yards rushing in 10 games, everyone magically seems to care about your NFL future.
Doug Martin is no exception. He doesn’t want to talk about it.
But Martin has no contract for 2016, so he hears the chatter and the questions.
“I’m healthy,” Martin told Buccaneers.com. “You know, people say, ‘Oh, it’s a contract year, that’s why he’s playing like this.’ I hate that. I hate contract questions. I’m healthy. Last year, I had the injury bug, it was either a knee, ankle, hamstring. This year, I made sure that I stayed healthy, doing a lot of preventive things, stretches, eating right.”
How much does Martin hate contract questions? The official team website didn’t even ask him about it; Martin just wanted to share his disgust.
The Bucs, if they desire, can negotiate with Martin exclusively until the free agency dinner bell rings in March.
If Martin can inoculate himself from the injury bug he referenced for six more games, then Martin will cash in big time.
Joe expects the Bucs to retain Martin, assuming he stays healthy for the stretch run. The franchise tag seems like it could (keyword: could) be a real option for Bucs. That would pay Martin about $11 million next season and force him to stay healthy, hungry and productive in 2016.
November 28th, 2015 at 9:15 am
I expect the Bucs will retain Martin. Rick Stroud and TKraz both say they think the chance is slim…but I disagree. First, money is usually most important but it’s not all-important. Doug already mentioned he had bought a house-so clearly he likes the area. And it’s a great house but not a mansion. That along with his normal subdued demeanor (I see him at events, before games, after games, at practice, etc) and he’s the low-key, quiet type…which tells me he’s not into the limelight that would drive so many to another team. He also knows he’s got a good O line here (wow, who thought that would be true now?) and that’s a huge factor to a RB. He gets 17-25 touches a game, so whoever says he wants to be the sole ball carrier and not split time doesn’t know what they’re saying. He is likely fine with it, as he IS the main guy. If anything, Charles Simms would be the one who wants to play elsewhere (something to address in two years, not now). Doug Martin is carving out a rep that would put him in the Bucs Ring of Honor, and he’d lose that if he left. And there is no guarantee he’d do well in another city. Doug Martin knows all this too, and he knows how long his useful time is as well. He’s a smart guy. Now, teams that would want him may not have a good O line, or a good offense or be otherwise promising. People say the Bucs worry about his age. True, but in a couple years if Martin is 29 and if it’s time for him to move on, the Bucs would likely trade him to a team who is starting the season and just lost their own feature back and need a quick fix. Otherwise teams will draft their own younger guy…much cheaper and longer term. But in this desperation situation where another team needs RB “now,” the Bucs would be able to slide out of a big contact. Finally, no income tax in Florida but plenty of warm weather. That’s a good tie breaker for larger contracts that are close. So my take is Martin will be a Buc for life!
November 28th, 2015 at 9:24 am
Sign,seal and deliver this man right back to Coach Koetter.
November 28th, 2015 at 9:53 am
Hopefully Doug will give us a discount. He’s gonna see a young improving OL. He’s going to see a franchise QB who is clearly a winner.
Remember Revis went to the Patriots for 3 million less than we would have paid.
And he got his SB ring.
The money is soooo absurd that it no longer should be the deal breaker. Forgive me for calling GREED on some of these players. Doug Martin’s first contract was for close to 7 MILLION!!!! He should be set for life. I dont want to hear about his short career expectancy…injuries yadda yadda yadda!! That’s 175 years of what the average Floridian makes!! How about somebody making 200,000 a year..pretty good eh…Doug has ALREADY earned the equivalent of 35 years…an entire career of a very well paid executive’s career!
Doug is clearly not AP or Marshawn Lynch good so we’ll ignore those salaries.
Arian Foster, LeSean McCoy, and Demarco Murray all earn 8 MILLION a year. Doug is going to get close. This means Doug will earn in ONE YEAR what he has already earned…it’s all gravy.
Now some will say I’m whining and envious because I think Doug should take whatever the Bucs offer if it’s even close to reasonable and I believe he’s already incredibly rich Am I envious…DUH!!!
But I do not begrudge Doug’s money because he certainly deserves more than the Glazers pocketing any more.
November 28th, 2015 at 10:12 am
Want to see him do this well next year too?
FRANCHISE TAG HIM!!!
Make him play for a contract again next year.
He’s playing great now, and staying healthy. Why has anyone not questioned why he waited for his contract year to do so? He rode his last contract, so why wouldn’t he do the same now?
So Franchise Tag him. That way he stays healthy and plays hard next year too. By then, Sims might be good enough to replace him if the contract negotiations fall thru.
Anyone wanting him to get a contract right now is insane. There are six games left. IF the season ends without a contract, and Licht feels he must get one, then he can still franchise him until a new deal is worked out.
November 28th, 2015 at 10:16 am
@StPeteBucsFan
Frankly, I don’t feel any player should get top dollar after only one year of doing well. Now, if Martin had trimmed down and played like this last year, it would be a different story because it would have established consistency. As of right now, all signs point to him playing for a contract.
So what happens after he gets it?
Judging by his previous years, he’ll cruise. So don’t give him a contract. Franchise him. He’ll get top dollar then, but he’ll also understand that he’s still playing for a contract and consistency is a must.
November 28th, 2015 at 10:19 am
As to the offensive line, I think the key to it getting better was getting Evan Smith out of the starting Center position. We lucked out on finding a better Center…and Center is the hardest spot on the line to fill.
Hard to believe most fans wanted the oline coach replaced this year.
November 28th, 2015 at 10:20 am
$11M with the franchise tag is way beyond Doug Martin’s worth. He has earned a very nice 2nd contract and will make very good $ – but the Bucs are not stupid enough to pay $11M next year for a running back that is worth $6M per year tops.
They should offer Doug $20M for 3 years with about $5M up front for a signing bonus as a thank you for all his hard work and success this year. If that is not good enough for Dougie – then let the free market dictate his worth. All things being relatively equal – Doug would probably prefer to remain a Buccaneer so no need to go overboard and overpay trying to keep him.
November 28th, 2015 at 10:34 am
@BucBonzai
I hate to throw Doug under the bus because I suspect he truly had the injuries.
RB is perhaps the most brutal position in the league and so I don’t think he was truly malingering.
But I still take your point about a lack of consistency due to those injuries. Is he fragile? Is this a rare healthy year or can we expect another season like this and his rookie year. If ASJ ever gets healthy and blossoms into a truly great TE he’ll have the same stigma to overcome. Healthy or fragile.
I think Pickgrin has it right and it would be fair to both sides as well.
November 28th, 2015 at 12:21 pm
I think the Bucs should use the franchise tag on Martin to make him prove it again. The $11M sounds like a lot compared to the top backs in the league, but he’s proving he belongs in that conversation. If Martin signs a long term deal, he’s going to demand (and get) $15-20M guaranteed, so the 1 year $11M deal makes sense for the Bucs because it protects them down the line from a one-season-wonder performance.
I’ll bet the Seahawks are wishing they had made Wilson play out the final season of his rookie deal because the Patriots exposed him as a fraud in the Super Bowl and he’s regressed to the mean this season.
One more thing, comparing pro athlete compensation to the common person’s compensation is ridiculous. Pro athletes generate tremendous revenues for their leagues and they deserve a fair share of that revenue as compensation. Nobody tunes in to an NFL game to catch a glimpse of Roger Goodell, Arthur Blank, or the Glazer sons. They tune in to watch the players put their rare skills on display. Don’t even get me started on the NCAA.
November 28th, 2015 at 10:14 pm
He is playing for next year.
November 28th, 2015 at 11:56 pm
Patriots exposed him as a fraud in the Super Bowl
The Patriots got freaking lucky!!! The Seahawks snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
Such a stupid play call into the teeth of the Pats defense. If they rolled Wilson right…he either runs into the end zone himself…or throws it to an open receiver in the endzone…or throws it away and they line up for the final play which would have been Marshawn up the middle and let’s see what happens.
I did not disagree with not running Marshawn that first attempt..everybody was looking for that and the Pats had the middle stacked…it was simply a bonehead call passing into the teeth of the Pats defense where all the bodies were!