Will Team Glazer Change Its Tune?
March 7th, 2016
Crossroads for Team Glazer and their $60 million in salary cap room? (Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com.)
Back in March of 2010, Team Glazer was adamant that money would never be an issue when it comes to keeping a player the franchise desires.
Joel Glazer even referred to the “slow cancer” of bad drafting that drove a low team payroll.
Here’s an excerpt from that 2010 Q&A with the Custodian of Canton, eye-RAH! Kaufman of The Tampa Tribune.
Q:How do you respond to the charge of being cheap owners?
A:Our football people have never been told no because of money. Money will never be an issue when it comes to building this team the way we think it should be built. Looking at our history, when it was necessary to spend to keep people or get someone to put us over the top, we didn’t think twice about it. And we won’t think twice about it, ever. Money is not an issue and that perception is false. Sometimes, I feel that charge is a scapegoat. It’s the one easy, tangible thing people can grab onto. But I grab onto not drafting well for many years. That’s like a slow cancer that builds and grows and eventually takes over. That is a major source of our problems and that’s the problem that has to be corrected. You correct that problem and you start writing a lot of big checks. And you’re happy to do it because that’s a good problem to have.
Of course, this brings Joe to Doug Martin.
Consider the following:
- Bucs fans want Doug Martin back in 2016.
- Dirk Koetter emphatically said he wants Martin back.
- Jason Licht says he wants Martin back.
- America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston, wants Martin back.
- Martin was a superior NFL football player last year. His film is spectacular.
- Martin says he loves Tampa, loves Jameis, loves Koetter and wants to return.
- The Bucs have a mountain of available cash under the 2016 salary cap — nearly $60 million after Logan Mankins retired today.
- The Bucs claim they want to build through the draft and Martin was a first-round pick in 2012.
- There is no other proven workhorse running back on the Bucs roster.
- At the end of the 2015 season, Licht claimed the Bucs have the talent to make the playoffs in the 2016 season. Presumably, that included the NFC’s second-leading rusher, Mr. Doug Martin.
So why wouldn’t the Bucs re-sign Martin? Joe can only think of one reason why that wouldn’t happen: money. But money won’t deter Team Glazer, per that 2010 discussion above. So it seems the Bucs might be at an organizational crossroads.
Of course, Tampa Bay must be reasonable. Martin won’t be given $10 million per season and say, $25 million guaranteed. But it shouldn’t take that much to lock down Martin.
If he leaves town because the Bucs didn’t want to match a reasonable offer, then Joe will be very confused, and Joe will be convinced the Bucs let Martin walk for no good reason.
March 7th, 2016 at 1:41 pm
The bucs are doing the same thing they did with Ronde all those years ago. they let him scratch the itch of free agency so he could come back to the team with no regrets or resentment about signing for less than he might feel he is worth. back then, Ronde’s label as a “system” CB and a relatively short starter resume was the reason nobody broke the bank on him, and in the end it turned out the bucs set a fair price. for Doug, it’s the inconsistent production and the worries about RBs coming off of very active\successful seasons. Doug will get alot more attention than Ronde got all those years ago, but nobody will throw out a number the bucs can’t match.
also, the potential big spenders like jacksonvill and oakland have similar mindsets – like us, both love their young talent and aren’t going to hinder their ability to re-sign those guys by doing something dumb for doug. There are equally enticing young guys like lamar miller and there are intriguing short-term fixes like Matt Forte…The market will remain sane for the Douggernaut and i predict that the final amount will be well short of a franchise tag
This Ronde analogy that’s become so popular drives Joe bananas. Barber wasn’t a Pro Bowler at the time and had six career interceptions. Different position. Different shelf life. Totally different era.–Joe
March 7th, 2016 at 1:46 pm
The Bucs will certainly match any reasonable offer. If he finds 8 million somewhere else with large guarantees though, they’ll let him walk, as they should.
Suppose they paid him 8 million just to keep him, with fat guarantees, which Joe would probably applaud. Then suppose he goes back to his 2013-14 performance. Who’s gonna be the first in line the criticize the Bucs? Joe.
March 7th, 2016 at 1:51 pm
Joe …dem’s fightin’ words. lol
March 7th, 2016 at 2:07 pm
Joe, most great teams don’t have a ton of cap room tied up in their running back. Patriots? No. Broncos? No. Carolina Panthers? No. Arizona Cardinals? No. How about last year’s final four…Seattle. Yes, but it’s handcuffed them and they’ve had to release other guys off their defense. Packers? No. Patriots? No. Colts? No. 7 out of 8 teams in the the final four without a high priced running back. It’s a different NFL today. We saw Dallas let go of Murray…and look how smart that turned out. I like Doug, but keep in mind we played softer defenses, had improved oline, and a competent qb (finally), plus we ran the ball the most in the nfl I believe. How much are we going to run this year? Not as much, most likely…Id love to resign our draft picks first and foremost but not breaking the bank at key positions. We have OTHER key positions to pay in the future (QB, middle linebacker, DE hopefully) in the future.
Not logical. There is no proven winning connection between how much or little a team spends on players. Good teams, however, keep their best players in their prime. –Joe
March 7th, 2016 at 2:13 pm
If Martin get a reasonable offer from another team which is closely within reach or just a tad over..I say we should..Pay the Man and be done with it. A few..hundred thousand dollars one way or another won’t make a difference. Mankins cleared a little room.
March 7th, 2016 at 2:16 pm
Last time I checked it takes 2 to tango…this is dougs last contract, he wants to find his value on the market more power to him, he’ll probably gives Bucs chance to match offers, let him flop somewhere else this is a passing league….
March 7th, 2016 at 2:18 pm
If Koetter wanted Martin back that bad they would have tagged him. Do you think Licht is just going against what the Head Coach that he just hired wants to do?
My guess is Koetter would prefer to be able to throw screens and dump offs to his starting back on downs that aren’t obvious passing downs, and that’s something Martin isn’t great at. A between the tackles banger can be had for alot cheaper than $8-10 million per year.
The media and fans always value running backs more than the team actually does. Every 3 or 4 years you have to draft or pickup new running backs. It’s a fact of life in the NFL.
March 7th, 2016 at 2:27 pm
Yeah the bucs are the perfect team to mess with a good thing.
Lets add having to replace Martin to our already formidable needs.
Great plan.
March 7th, 2016 at 2:29 pm
Everyone wants to blame this Martin situation in the ownership, GM and coach but we don’t know what Martin is asking for. He might be unrealistic with his expectations. I really don’t see Licht low balling him because when it was time to get David’s contact done, there wasn’t a snag that I can remember. I’ve said it and I’ll keep saying it…that first year spending spree that lead to 2 wins left a bad taste in ppl mouths. I don’t see Licht over paying for another player as long as he’s with the organization. Unless it’s a qb.
March 7th, 2016 at 2:29 pm
You guys keep talking about matching. Martin does not have to give the bucs an opportunity to match. If the bucs wanted that oportunity, then they should have transition tagged him. Martin may not feel wanted now and if a team ala raiders only offer 7 million per year, he can accept that and move on because he may feel wanted there. Thats called not letting said free agent out of the building. The bucs have been successful in the past with that with jackson and deshaun golston. There is no gaurantee we will get the opportunity to match.
March 7th, 2016 at 2:35 pm
I don’t go too much by what public figures say. Yeah, they kind of HAVE to say they all want Martin back, but who knows, maybe they feel they can replace him easily.
March 7th, 2016 at 2:39 pm
$6.5MM for CB Brent Grimes?
March 7th, 2016 at 2:42 pm
I think the Glazers need to let Jason Licht do his job, which is most likely what they are doing. Chill Joe, things will work out.
March 7th, 2016 at 2:43 pm
Let it play out. For crying out loud. All this talk and chit chat.. If he resigns with Bucs then all this wasted writing and reading.
March 7th, 2016 at 2:51 pm
For me it boils down to the Bucs will not be able to find a Doug Martin in free agency this year to replace the real Doug Martin. He is a true bell cow RB and still young enough to give the team pro bowl production. Perhaps they have their sights set on someone in the draft, but again guys like Ronnie Hillman or Lamar Miller are not the same style of RB as #22. When healthy Martin is a special RB…again my opinion anyway.
March 7th, 2016 at 2:57 pm
Add Doug Martin to the list of Michael Bennett, Talib, Revis, Penn, Blount and Barron who all left here and were productive elsewhere
I’ve accepted it, the Bucs will always suck
March 7th, 2016 at 3:16 pm
It’s a smart move for both the Bucs and Doug. Doug asks way above what he thinks he can get, just to see if he can get that or a higher price than he thought. Goes to free agency to see if what the Bucs are offering is a good deal and maybe be able to get some more out of them. Bucs save money, not a big deal this year, but for the next couple of years. In the end he will resign with the Bucs. Only thing I can think of swaying him away from the Bucs is another team with no income tax and a winning team and that is the Houston Texans and Washington Redskins, both went 9-7. Not a huge lure, but the Texans do have $41M to spend and not a great running back currently.
March 7th, 2016 at 4:16 pm
The sky is falling.
March 7th, 2016 at 6:29 pm
@Joe, the crux of the analogy is that the bucs have supreme confidence in their valuation, and the player sees no sense in assuming they’re right without letting other teams tell them so. the minute you use the franchise tag, market value becomes irrelevant, your deal has to compete with the money you just GUARANTEED the guy. The bucs are betting that their view of the market is at least remotely accurate, and they are probably happy to pay him up to the Franchise tender…..if a bidding war demands it.
March 7th, 2016 at 11:12 pm
^^ I doubt they would pay anywhere close to the tender. I think anything more than 8 million a year and they back out, not because they can’t afford it, but out of principal.
March 8th, 2016 at 4:13 am
Joe, there is a logical connection with spending cap wise. Smart teams invest in their line and qb, not running back in todays passing league. When is the last time a great running back won a title in today’s nfl? Jerome Bettis? He was at the end of his career…
March 8th, 2016 at 10:23 am
Is anyone else wondering if the Bucs shock the NFL world when the commissioner steps up to the podium and says:
“With the 9th pick the Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliot?”
March 8th, 2016 at 10:24 am
No? Well how about Alabama’s Heisman Trophy RB Derrick Henry then?