Slashing Salary?
March 31st, 2017
Salary decision.
Sometimes, the signs are right there for all to read. One doesn’t need breadcrumbs to find a path home.
Yesterday, Joe wrote how it is hard to believe any NFL team would pay a reserve who doesn’t play special teams $7 million (that’s not a quarterback). Yet that is what Doug Martin’s salary is for the 2017 season.
Yes, Joe hears you. How can Joe call Martin a reserve? At this point, if the Bucs are rational, they must consider Martin a backup. He will miss the first three games of 2017, finishing his suspension for failing drug tests last season.
If the Bucs practiced through the spring and summer with Martin being the No. 1 back, then they set themselves up for an 0-3 start, which means buh-bye playoff hopes. That would just be irresponsible.
Former NFL agent Joel Corry, who types for CBS Sports, thinks Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht will use the hype of America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, working out with free agent running back Adrian Peterson as some sort of leverage to slash Martin’s salary.
@corryjoel: I’m waiting for Dirk Koetter’s Jameis/Peterson workout intrigue to result in Doug Martin’s pay cut. Suspension voided 2017 salary guarantee.
Joe doesn’t think Licht has to use any of this Peterson drama as leverage at all. The Bucs, meaning Licht, hold all the cards here. Martin has zero leverage and likely when he came to One Buc Palace a few weeks ago, he walked around Licht with his tail between his legs hoping Licht doesn’t send him packing.
Look, if Peterson has problems getting work, imagine Martin trying to find a job with a PED history and an injury history, and wildly inconsistent play coming off a gross 2.9 yards-per-carry season, worst in the NFL last year. Besides, Martin is only eligible for 13 regular games this year. And, oh by the way, he will be 29 before next season.
That’s not an attractive resumé.
In Joe’s eyes, it’s not a matter of if Martin takes a pay cut, it’s when.
March 31st, 2017 at 8:10 am
Martin, if cut by Bucs, will find work, albeit in a back up role, team like Oakland, Pats and Cowboys that have solid offensive lines. We will see another former Buc doing well, but the difference this time is, the Bucs will be winning too.
March 31st, 2017 at 8:12 am
I don’t want to see Drug Martin in a Bucs uniform ever again.
March 31st, 2017 at 8:14 am
Can’t believe he will be going on 30 here soon already . We just just move on salary cut or not
March 31st, 2017 at 8:14 am
Should*
March 31st, 2017 at 8:28 am
The Bucs can keep Drug Martin in the back pocket until they have made their moves!!! I thought I even heard that they could wait until going into week 4 and they could still cut him and not owe him a dime!!! That is quite the insurance in case some RB injury!!!!!!
March 31st, 2017 at 8:50 am
There is no rush till after the draft. Just as Dirk said, they have the benefit of time.
March 31st, 2017 at 8:56 am
Setting aside his health record for a moment, it bothers me that so many fans have turned on Doug Martin.
Before this suspension, everyone seemingly loved him. He was considered a great teammate. A hard worker. A good locker room presence. An example.
His violation of the program was a first time offense, yet people here are crucifying him for it. I just don’t get it. There is no real reason to have such animosity toward the man. Most of you talk like he is a horrible person. He isn’t.
Now, bringing his injury history back into it, I get the risk vs reward factor there…but I was against him getting a new contract in the first place…I wanted to tag him and make him prove himself two years in a row. If people recall, I said before he got his contract that I was concerned he had played so well the year before because he wanted to get paid, and that there was no consistency.
There are valid reasons to move on from Doug, but that’s not what I’m hearing from you people. I here anger. Hate.
And maybe a bit of bias because you want the Bucs to choose a certain RB in the draft, and you believe the chances are greater that happens if the Bucs cut Martin.
Personally, if Jason Licht can rework a deal with Martin…a very team-friendly deal…then I see nothing wrong with keeping him AND adding another back. We have an open roster spot there anyway. Quiz, Sims and Martin are our current RBs. We need 4.
March 31st, 2017 at 8:58 am
The Buc Realist Says
“The Bucs can keep Drug Martin in the back pocket until they have made their moves!!! I thought I even heard that they could wait until going into week 4 and they could still cut him and not owe him a dime!”
That brings up a question I have. At what point does his 2017 salary become locked in?
Roster-wise, the Bucs have until after his suspension to make a decision. But is that the case salary-wise?
That may well dictate his fate.
March 31st, 2017 at 9:05 am
Jesus Christ, you all are such a**holes in regards to Doug Martin.
The guy screwed up and owned it. Give him a second chance, this is a no lose situation for the Bucs. If the guy can contribute, let him.
God damn, y’all act like he punted Baxter.
March 31st, 2017 at 9:17 am
@Bonzai … “Quiz, Sims and Martin are our current RBs. We need 4.” We have 4 RBs Bonzai … Barber is a LOT better than most fans recognize at this point. Just needs game experience. Plus it’s close to being a given that Bucs will be drafting 1 RB next month. Martin is odd man out. No ‘anger’ or ‘hate’ there as you call it; 2 productive yrs out of 5 doesn’t cut it.
March 31st, 2017 at 9:17 am
I have never heard what the ped that he used was…anyone know…was it a pain killer because of physical issues unspoken? Because it certainly didn’t enhance his performance last season!
We should call it a performance retardant …he plain old looked bad…
March 31st, 2017 at 9:19 am
New nick name for Martin…Yo Yo….based on his performance he plays up he plays down…
March 31st, 2017 at 9:20 am
@Buc Bonzai
I thought I heard a while back on NFL radio sirius/xm that because he started his suspension last year and it will end on week 4 of 2017 that they can wait until the day he become activated on the active roster.
So sometime after the week 3 game!!!!!!
March 31st, 2017 at 9:35 am
Was this DM’s first offense? I always assumed that, if a suspension was issued, there was a prior history of offenses already.
Regardless, I am not opposed to giving Martin a second chance. The problem is twofold: First, can you count on him? He’s wildly inconsistent, has a significant injury history, and is facing suspension. Are we really willing to bank on a guy who very well could be suspended, injured, and/or unproductive, if not all three?
Second, where does he fit? You can’t go into the season with him as your primary running back because of the reasons stated above. Assuming he is not the “bell cow,” where does he fit on the roster? A backup that doesn’t play special teams? Who are you going to cut to keep him on the roster
March 31st, 2017 at 9:41 am
I don’t think anyone is hating on Martin personally, outside of calling him “Drug Martin,” which is pretty funny to me. He pretty much has to deal with that given the situation he put himself in.
The fact that I think most Buc fans calling for the team to move on for is that he’s just pretty much unreliable. If history continues to repeat itself, he’s due to have a good year this year, but what if he doesn’t? Can the Bucs afford to take that chance? Can Koetter afford to bring him back given his past issues?
If you draft a young back, especially someone like Cook, you get some leeway if things don’t go exactly as planned. This team is so close to the playoffs, and we’re one solid ball carrier away on offense. Maybe the Bucs will be content to resign him at a reduced cost and let him carry the load when he returns, but I’m not sure I would bring him back. I like him as a man, but it’s frustrating how undependable he can be.
March 31st, 2017 at 9:51 am
Personally I’m over him. Time for New Blood
March 31st, 2017 at 9:58 am
Next!
March 31st, 2017 at 10:03 am
Because AP is a Special Teams Allstar… We are not signing AP and there is no reason to cut DM until we “Have” to. What if we lose the RB we draft and another in TC. No reason to cut DM.
March 31st, 2017 at 10:16 am
No BucsRealist that is a horrible way to treat a player. I do get your point but the Bucs cant look at it that way. If they cut him like that you divide a locker room cause players dont like to play for a team that treats their mates like that.
In the same breathe i loved how they ponied up their end of the contract to keep VJax last year. It didnt work out but when players see an orginization reward its players it gives them great reason to want to come play here.
March 31st, 2017 at 10:25 am
I agree with bonzai. People turning on doug too quickly. I remember that i was gonna get livid hadthey not made doug an offer last year. Heck i know ive been given 2nd 3rd and 4th chances in my life. Im not giving up on dougie til licht cuts him. I can understand the frustration but try not to have it turn into hate i say. Shoot the guycould crawl through his pile of spit ad come out clean on the other end…. …..prancing into the endzone in january. Then you will unhate him right?
March 31st, 2017 at 10:27 am
Kinda feel like we’re beating a dead hamster here…….seems like multiple articles covering essentially the same thing with nothing new….
We won’t really know much more until we pick up a FA/RB or draft one….
I think barring a substantially reduced contract for Martin….he’s gone and likely not going to attract any trade value either.
March 31st, 2017 at 10:29 am
Say what you will, when money is on the table, he’s performed well. Sign him to a team friendly one year with two one year team options, low base with high level incentives based on performance and % of snaps played. He leveraged the bucs last year, do. the same this year. This is an opportunity for the Bucs to keep him as insurance. If he decides that he doesn’t want it, cut him. Draft a back somewhere in this draft either with a premium pick early or value pick later. If dalvin or Cmac or Mack hits that rookie wall a fresh Martin might just breathe life into the team. Consider this, we cut him but then one of our others got to ir on a meaningless preseason play. Now what? Can’t count on him being the guy but for a guy he’s better than what is generally on the street.
March 31st, 2017 at 10:30 am
Or we could draft everybodys hero cook and he could be in for more then he bargained for and be a stiff. Then the haters will change their tunes right quick if dougie has one good game. One thing is certain and that is that doug martin can perform in the nfl
March 31st, 2017 at 10:40 am
lol you know we’re in the worst part of the offseason when this is somehow a story
The draft is going to dictate what we do at RB. Even then we may see how they look in TC before thinking about Peterson or Martin
March 31st, 2017 at 10:57 am
He let the team down when they needed him most in 2016…cost the Bucs a playoff spot in my opinion. I don’t “hate” Martin…in fact…I liked him a great deal as a player at one point. He went into the tank after a lucrative payday. He can’t be trusted as the Bucs are on the verge of being a legitimate contender. It’s time to move on. He might actually play well for another team ( Patriots come to mind )…but the message needs to be sent that even the top dollar players can’t screw over the team.
March 31st, 2017 at 2:15 pm
If he doesn’t “pop” on a test, Doug Martin would STILL be the starting RB. That’s a stone cold fact, whether you care to acknowledge it or not. The ONLY reason there is an inkling of drafting a RB in the 1st round talk is because he failed a drug test.
The Bucs felt he was the guy, enough to pay him a big contract. Now he’s just “Druggie’?! Oh, and we WANT AP! A guy who beat his 4 year old kid so badly with a switch that the kid had bruising on his scrotum! Hmmmm, molly-user or kid-beater?!
I hate people sometimes!
March 31st, 2017 at 3:39 pm
I laugh (but I’m the idiot) when I see the comment 2 good years out of 5 ….what was he running behind…a trash can o-line 3 years out of 5!! BUILD THE DAMN WALL!!
March 31st, 2017 at 3:53 pm
Bucsfanman sez:
If he doesn’t “pop” on a test, Doug Martin would STILL be the starting RB. That’s a stone cold fact, whether you care to acknowledge it or not. The ONLY reason there is an inkling of drafting a RB in the 1st round talk is because he failed a drug test.
Maybe…not so sure. Perhaps because year 2 was guaranteed until the failed drug test. He looked bad last season when he did play…2.9 YPC. Rodgers looked better…so did A. Smith and P. Barber if you ask me.
March 31st, 2017 at 8:58 pm
Hate to see all of y’all turn on ole Drug Martin. Did we forget he was the #2 rusher in the NFL just TWO seasons ago? And he was running behind a church door O-Line. Give the guy a break
April 1st, 2017 at 8:29 am
yea i think the ship has sailed on this experiment i got no real hard feelings for doug he did some good things for us gave us a couple good memories but it’s time to move on the u said it best joe , 29, inconsistent and suspended for 3 games i think doug is hoping for the pay cut and praying it’s not anything worse he knows what’s going on he’s not getting nearly 7 million probably not even half that