“I Want Doug Martin Back!”
January 15th, 2016
Dirk Koetter makes a public plea for Jason Licht to re-sign RB Doug Martin.
Doug Martin fans: Fear not. New Bucs coach Dirk Koetter is as big a fan of everyone’s favorite Muscle Hamster as you are. Really!
In sitting with the pen and mic club after his introductory press conference, Koetter was asked about the possibility of the free agent, soon-to-be All-Pro running back returning to the Bucs.
Man, talk about flipping the on switch. Koetter lit up and all but begged the local reporters to lobby Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht to re-sign Martin.
“Tell Jason Licht that I want – I want! – Doug Martin back,” Koetter bellowed with a monster smile on his face. “Tell Jason. I’m putting my name on it!
“I want Doug Martin to be a Buc, tell him. Who wouldn’t want Doug Martin back? He’s a terrific football player. Of course, we would love to have him back. Jason has control of that. I think Jason wants Doug back, too. You will have to get [Licht] on that but I’m pretty sure he does.”
Joe would be shocked if Martin is not back with the Bucs. Seriously.
What many fans seem to be overlooking is that Licht has the hammer in his hand, and that hammer is known as the franchise tag. Even if Licht and Martin’s agent can’t hammer out a deal, then the franchise tag keeps Martin with the Bucs.
And yes, Joe checked, the Bucs could, in theory, franchise Martin again for the 2017 season if they are so inclined.
January 15th, 2016 at 6:19 pm
Lovie didn’t
January 15th, 2016 at 6:22 pm
It’s a done deal. If your prized HC wants him, you better make it happen.
January 15th, 2016 at 6:27 pm
Time for some OFFENSE, BUCS FANS!!!
FIRE THEM CANNONS!!!!!!!
January 15th, 2016 at 6:28 pm
Should we not be calling him the “Dougeernaut!” instead of the Muscle Hamster?
http://www.tbo.com/sports/bucs/bucs-rb-martin-call-me-dougernaut-not-that-other-nickname-20151022/
January 15th, 2016 at 6:32 pm
@jaykpatel
As long as he continues to play like he did this season, I say we call him whatever he wants us to call him.
January 15th, 2016 at 6:41 pm
The Bucs are in good hands with Koach at the helm!
January 15th, 2016 at 6:47 pm
What a breath of fresh air to have some positive emotion out of our HC! Love the direction we are heading right now.
January 15th, 2016 at 6:48 pm
Like I have been saying for weeks now..What Koetter wants, Koetter gets!
January 15th, 2016 at 6:56 pm
I think Doug wants to be back as well. Both Koetter and Martin coach/played in Idaho, and both have trust in one another. Now, do we pay him a large amount of money? No, since you can win without a star rb in today’s NFL…if its a reasonable contract for both sides, then yes a deal should be made.
January 15th, 2016 at 6:58 pm
here he comes to save the dayyyy
mighty martin is here to stay.
January 15th, 2016 at 7:00 pm
mighty mouse martin
January 15th, 2016 at 7:13 pm
Hey everyone go to google.com and do this search site:joebucsfan.com “Bucs fan 7423 Says:” except replace my name with anyone you want to find quotes of what they said 🙂
January 15th, 2016 at 7:59 pm
This seems to be a done deal to me. We have no other player that we might need to reserve the franchise tag on so we can use it on Doug.
I’m not concerned with how much they pay him next year…even if we have to go to the franchise tag amount if it’s just for one year.
Now that Joe points out we could do it again the following year I simply see no reason to tie up money long term in an aging running back who has had 50% great career and 50% sub par.
Doug deserves to get paid for next year…but not beyond…let him earn each year’s salary.
January 15th, 2016 at 8:23 pm
Why does Joe keep talking about – seemingly almost pushing for – a franchise tag for Doug Martin?
That would be grossly overpaying. Market value for Martin after his stellar 2015 season is about $6-7M per year.
Why pay $11.2M next year – or worse, $23M over the next 2 years – when Martin’s value is no more than $20M for a 3 year deal?
Doug is a great talent (when healthy) and we need him back for sure – but RB is one of the last positions on the team you want to grossly overpay for.
I’m sure Licht knows this and will do the right thing for the future of this franchise. If Martin thinks he is worth $10M+ per year and wants to play hardball – he will see if allowed to hit the open market that NO TEAM is going to fork out that kind of $ for a RB that has had 2 good years out of 4 in the league.
AP is the only running back worth that kind of $ and he is getting old for a RB. I hope Doug understands this and is willing to sign a fair to both sides long term deal (3-4 years).
January 15th, 2016 at 8:37 pm
@Pickgrin
Those are all very valid points. I just think risking 10 million next year is better than risking double that amount for three years. Yes it obviously cuts the price but it also extends the gamble big time.
And so if Doug plays one more year and then goes down the rest of that ten million is dead money.
If we had salary cap pressure perhaps….or maybe I’m missing part of how you would package the deal because it is the NFL and so “deals” are not really what they appear…all that really counts in the guaranteed money.
If we were rebuilding I’d definitely agree with you but I think we should immediately flip the switch to win now!!! If we want to give us the best chance to do that a healthy Doug Martin is essential.
January 15th, 2016 at 8:51 pm
SPBF – no deal is 100% guaranteed. The properly structured deal would be less risk and cost much less overall than the silly idea of franchising Martin.
I have already said more than once that $20M for 3 years with $10M guaranteed including a $5m signing bonus would be fair for both Doug and the Bucs.
Doug would get his $10M next year up front – because the deal should include about a $5M signing bonus and his $5M salary would also be guaranteed for 2016. If he gets badly hurt or sucks next year – then the Bucs could cut him without penalty after 2016 if they felt they had to.
January 15th, 2016 at 9:00 pm
I said without penalty – but the signing bonus gets pro rated per year over the course of the contract as far as cap hit value – so if they decided to cut Martin after 2016 and the deal is what I said – then the cap hit would be $1.65 after 2017 or $3.3M after 2016 to cut him.
Still a much better scenario than $11.2M for 2016 and then right back where we are with it now at the end of next year.
January 15th, 2016 at 9:07 pm
Pickgrin
Ok you’ve convinced me. Let’s hope Licht is reading your posts!!! 🙂
January 15th, 2016 at 9:15 pm
Licht knows this better than I do – I’m sure – or at least I hope he does – LOL.
It’s really going to be up to Doug and his agent as to how much they are going to ask for and/or are willing to accept.
I just hope that Jason doesn’t over pay and is willing to let Martin test the market if Doug thinks his services are worth well north of $7M per year. He will be brought back to reality quickly on the open market if that is the case. Teams just aren’t paying a lot for RBs these days.
January 15th, 2016 at 9:27 pm
And worse case scenario – if Doug was allowed to test free agency – and some team did decide to grossly overpay Martin and he leaves now – then the Bucs would at least get a 3rd or 4th round compensatory pick this year.
This happened with Warrick Dunn if you will remember – Atlanta offered him over the top $ and the Bucs correctly decided that it was too much to match. But there were no compensatory picks back then…. and running backs were valued a lot more than they are in today’s game.
January 15th, 2016 at 9:29 pm
@Pickgrin Why would Doug Martin sign a 3-year deal when the market is a 5 or 6 year contract? He’s already 27 years old, so a 3-year deal would put him at 30, the dreaded age for free agent running backs. Look for the Bucs to either franchise him for one year or sign him to a five year deal.
Doug is going to get paid and he’s going to get a ton of guaranteed money one way or the other.
January 15th, 2016 at 9:52 pm
Nobody is going to give a 27 year old RB a 6 year deal for guaranteed big bucks – get real “America’s Commentator”.
4 year “commitment” tops is what he will get from any team.
What sounds better for the Bucs? 4 years for $26M with 1/2 that guaranteed – or 2 years for $23M which is what franchising him for 2 years would cost. Duh… That’s why I’m saying its ridiculous that Joe keeps suggesting this as a supposedly good or viable option.
January 15th, 2016 at 10:37 pm
I was under the impression that with the new CBA you can only franchise the same player once. Is there a loophole I’m not aware of or am I just completely wrong?
January 15th, 2016 at 11:45 pm
Because that locks him up with little to no risk for the team.
January 16th, 2016 at 12:45 am
the franchise tag may be used 2 years in a row on the same player.
January 16th, 2016 at 12:54 am
Yup.
Joe confirmed back in December with the Bucs front office that, if need be, they can use the franchise tag in back-to-back seasons on Doug Martin (and previously, if needed, would have used that option on Lavonte David).
January 16th, 2016 at 12:58 am
Few if any teams have any interest in giving a running back pushing 30 any contract with significant cash, especially a guy with a history of injuries (see: Martin, Doug; 2013-2014).
After the 2017 season, Martin will be 29. We all know what happens to 98 percent of running backs when they hit the magic age of 30.
January 16th, 2016 at 7:35 am
Franchise tag him.
Here’s the problem…make all the excuses you want about injuries…injuries did not cause Martin to get out of shape for years. This year he came in lighter and in much better shape.
Why?
Because it was a contract year.
This is a sure warning sign that once he gets his money, things might go back to the way they were.
Franchise him to make him prove himself again next year. This will give time for him to maintain this year’s habits, plus encourage the desire to be best in the league.
A contract can always be worked out sometime next season if he maintains.
Never trust sudden, contract year improvement.
January 16th, 2016 at 7:37 am
The only kind of contract I would give him is heavily incentive driven.
January 16th, 2016 at 8:08 am
What’s crazy to me is the mood and demeanor of bucs fans since the hiring of Koetter. Myself included. I haven’t seen a single negative point on his hiring or the direction of the team. However, still not too sure about the DC. But, excited none the less. I see playoffs in the near future for us. If the US Army didn’t keep me from florida my a$$ would be at RayJay much more often; however, I am looking forward to watching them whoop up on the kitties at Bank of America Stadium next season!!!!!!!!!!
Go Bucs
January 16th, 2016 at 8:10 am
Doug will be a buc. I see a three or four year deal for him. Gives him the chance for more cash and gives us security in the sense of moving in a different direction if it doesnt work.
January 16th, 2016 at 12:45 pm
Regardless of all the conjecture, Licht will absolutely let Martin to dip his toes into the FA market to measure his worth. Just business Santino.
Thereafter, the Bucs should put a fair offer on the table and hopefully a deal gets made.
January 19th, 2016 at 1:01 am
That’s why I like this guy. Don’t outsmart yourself.
Tampa, re sign Martin and resign Stamkos – for what they deserve.
January 19th, 2016 at 9:04 pm
This is a good, hardworking dude! He said he does not like the “MH” nickname, and he’s been very cool about it. Please call him by his name, or something else that doesn’t piss him off. He’s earned the right. I love your site, but I just think this is less than professional!