More Dollar Signs For Ali Marpet
June 11th, 2018
We all saw the monster, record-setting cash ex-Panthers guard Andrew Norwell got in free agency from Jacksonville back in March.
And now the guard bar is higher with Cowboys beast Zack Martin about to ink a new deal.
NFL Network is pumping out news today that Martin is about to crush Norwell’s deal, which features $30 million guaranteed through the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
The Bucs have a young guard entering his contract year, too. That’s Ali Marpet, and you can bet Marpet will demand that kind of cash if he can muster a Pro Bowl kind of season in 2018.
Sure, the Bucs could try to re-sign Marpet now, but that might require at least 85 percent of what Norwell hauled in.
Joe believes the Bucs should play wait-and-see with Marpet.
The reality is that he’s only had one healthy season out of three, including missing five games to injury last year. Joe can’t think of a reason why the Bucs should open the vault early for any player with a history of injury. Make the guy prove he’s a 16-game piece of the puzzle.
Frankly, Joe also loves the idea of Marpet and Donovan Smith trying to outdo each other on the offensive line all season long, trying to be top dog on the o-line when it comes to securing a contract extension.
June 11th, 2018 at 6:35 pm
Marpet has not had a significant injury so playing those type of games are not worth it joe. Marpet has shown he is a very good player. Pay him now when he cant command top dollar. If is healthy all 16 next year and makes a pro bowl, now you are on the hook for top dollar. He could still miss 4 games the following year and you are still paying top dollar. Only way waiting helps is he misses games and does not make the pro bowl in which his salary will be roughly the same if you just paid him now. Buy low and do not take the risk. He is by far the best olineman on the team right now. Pay the man
“Games?” Stay healthy, play well and finish your contract.–Joe
June 11th, 2018 at 6:49 pm
Plus, the guy’s playing his third position in 3 years… no way he has a pro bowl year. That, plus the chance for injury, leaves the odds firmly with the team to wait it out. I’m sure they’ll be happy to pay top dollar at the end of the year if he is deserving of it.
June 11th, 2018 at 6:51 pm
The bucs have made a habbit of locking up their core players 1 offseason before their final year ie david, mccoy, evans etc. All have missed games. Pay your core players and do not mess around. Marpet is a core player imo.
June 11th, 2018 at 7:01 pm
I would like to wait and see also but in the meantime can they get him settled on 1 position?
June 11th, 2018 at 7:04 pm
Pay him……pay Marpet, Smith & Kwon…..eat up the cap….pray for continued increased cap….cut Djax, Sweezy, Gholston,…..free up some money and pay them.
And, while you’re at it…..pay Joe too.
June 11th, 2018 at 7:05 pm
Marpet played 13 games as a rookie, 16 his sophmore year and 11 last year. That does not equate to injury prone, that says he is a nfl player where injuries happen imo.
@ tgh
How do you know marpet wont be a probowler next year. All it takes is for the bucs to have a good year and they could have 6 probowlers like the saints, eagles, rams, and jags etc. None of those teams went to the playoffs the year before. No need to gamble
June 11th, 2018 at 7:21 pm
There is no harm in playing wait and see. If he deserves it than the extra 15% does not matter.
June 11th, 2018 at 7:22 pm
You can’t make someone prove they are 16 game material what big money guy on our roster is…brent grimes? Gmc? Lavonte David? Practically the only guy we count on is Mike Evans…come to think of it besides Donovan Smith had anyone on the offensive line played without injury?
June 11th, 2018 at 7:27 pm
I would be careful to not let him make it to free agency. I would lock him up sooner than later. We only have one franchise tag, and we may need it for other players like Kwon. Especially if the team has a losing season.
June 11th, 2018 at 8:10 pm
Marpet has say too, he can test the waters and get paid or we’d have to tag him
June 11th, 2018 at 8:38 pm
Marpet has played well since his rookie year – but he certainly hasn’t earned the right to be the next in line for highest paid at his position.
Jensen didn’t earn that designation either having only started and played well for 1 year before Licht made him the highest paid Center – even though he’s likely the 3rd best Center in our conference.
Sooo – not sure how this plays out – but signing Jensen to that big FA contract with a bunch of guaranteed $ is certainly not going to make it any easier to negotiate a fair to both sides deal with Marpet and D. Smith…
June 11th, 2018 at 8:39 pm
Meant to say Jensen is likely the 3rd best Center in our division (not conference).
June 11th, 2018 at 8:47 pm
Just cause Martin got paid doesn’t mean Marpet will too.. smh where is the logic behind this? Just because one guy at a certain position gets paid someone else at the same position who has done less in his career will get the same or more? Nah … marpet will get what he deserves and it won’t be in the zack Martin ball park.. sorry joe but one pro bowl isn’t gonna do that for ya
June 11th, 2018 at 9:54 pm
Lol Says:
Just cause Martin got paid doesn’t mean Marpet will too.. smh where is the logic behind this? Just because one guy at a certain position gets paid someone else at the same position who has done less in his career will get the same or more?
———————
No, but it does raise the average market price, across the board at that position.
June 12th, 2018 at 12:19 am
They will pay him but they have Jameis’s contract to worry about too we’ll see more talk about this mid season
June 12th, 2018 at 2:34 am
Marpet May be our best Oline player but that doesn’t mean he is topni. League and should be paid that way. Paid well Yes , but not pro bowl caliber type money yet.
We need to distinguish best players in league to best player of the team your a homer for.
June 12th, 2018 at 5:57 am
@Webster … “Marpet played 13 games as a rookie, 16 his sophmore year and 11 last year. That does not equate to injury prone.” So if an OLineman plays 40 games in 3 years (13.3 games/season) he’s not injury-prone. But if a DLineman … we’ll use GMC as an example … plays 109 games in 8 years (13.6 games/season) he’s considered by many Bucs fans to be an injury magnet?
Sorry, but injuries are a fact of life for NFL linemen in the trenches IMO. Being able to play through injuries is helpful (well, some injuries), but DEPTH is a much better solution in the trenches. That’s where the Bucs have traditionally been lacking IMO, and that’s where we’re still lacking this year on the OLine. Bucs WILL re-sign Ali Marpet & Donovan Smith next year for one reason more than any others: they have no choice. We have no depth waiting in the wings to take their place, and buying FA replacements would be even move expensive than re-signing our own.
June 12th, 2018 at 7:43 am
Id like to see him at one spot and play well, think he is more valuable than Kwon to the team, D Smith I feel needs to stay he is ok at LT but excellent in the community
June 12th, 2018 at 7:45 am
I completely disagree with joe on this.
Ali has been a very good player for the Bucs. The Bucs should do everything they can to sign him before the start of this season.
June 12th, 2018 at 8:10 am
Pay him now…or pay him a lot more later. If the cash is there it only makes sense to get him under contract long term now.
June 12th, 2018 at 8:42 am
Tampabaybucfan, DJax can’t be cut until next year to save money. Too much dead cap space this year.
As to the “5” games Joe mentioned Marpet missing last year, the ones at the end of the season should not be counted against him. He could have played, but the coach decided that it wasn’t worth it with the season shot. Sweezy would have played as well, though he was suffering more at the time.
And to those saying he should be settled at one position before getting a contract, he has done very well and it is not his fault the Bucs keep moving him.
Here’s the thing. We have 3-4 good players entering contract years. Licht needs to sign at lease two just to stagger these contracts some…but that will be next to impossible unless some cap space is cleared up. Certainly, Sweezy is a likely cut, but the rest might be players we all like. Unless Licht can trade DJax.
June 12th, 2018 at 9:00 am
Interesting perspective Bonzai. Agreed that DJax will be here this year (dead CAP money) but trade is unlikely (possible, but unlikely). Assuming that Godwin continues to climb the pecking order, DJax won’t be here next year. And neither will GMC IMO (same rationale). Convinced that Bucs WILL re-sign Jameis, Ali & Donovan, but not until after the season. Freeing up that much CAP space won’t be easy, even with DJax & GMC not on the roster. Also expect to see several others (Gholston & David among them) asked to renegotiate & play for less next year. Odd man out next year IMO will be Kwon (suspicion that we’ll see Beckwith at MLB before the season is too far along, and we’ve got a strong enough LB-corps that we can afford to replace pieces there much easier than at QB or OLine.
June 12th, 2018 at 9:19 am
if the 5games he missed didn’t matter because the season was done, why did all the other starters play?…..why was d.smith still playing?….mike evans?….if they didn’t matter, the staff would’ve tanked…..not buying that excuse…..
bottom line is, marpet is a good player and should be resigned but he has to show he can stay healthy and produce consistently if he wants the big bucks……say what you want about d.smith but he has never missed a game and is at least an average LT……he’s going to get paid….
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!….#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
June 12th, 2018 at 9:45 am
Not smart. Go ahead and lock up Ali now. The longer you wait..the more you are gonna probably pay. As always..its a..BucLife.
June 12th, 2018 at 10:45 am
Love me some Ali Marpet..Not sure he is Zack Martin though…
June 12th, 2018 at 10:53 am
What would have to happen for the Bucs NOT to sign him, whatever the cost? He would be cheaper now, barring something freak.
LOL, see Ryan Jenkins.
June 12th, 2018 at 11:36 am
Let it play out and pay the man what he is worth. We’ve seen too many instances of poor business decisions relating to players. Gholston is a classic. We “HAD” to sign him because he was such a “good run-stuffing DE”! We vastly overpaid for what was already a part-time player.
Pay Marpet what he is worth. It’s the smart move. He’s a good player.
June 12th, 2018 at 1:03 pm
Cmon, most know that Marpet was shut down last year and would have played thru injury if the Bucs season wasn’t over in mid-Oct. He should get a good deal before training camp ends.