We knew what Martin was capable of, we saw it in his rookie season. But as injuries, had hindered Doug’s playing time, no one expected what he has accomplished, this season. Tampa passed on re-signing him to a big contract earlier this season. That would leave a bad taste in any player’s mouth. And now that he is considered one of the best-running backs in the league. Could the decision not to re-sign him, come back to bite us in the buttocks? I surely hope not! But there are a lot of teams out there willing to divvy up the necessary monies to snag this caliber running back.
“Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times believes “there’s mutual interest in a new contract” between the team and their pending free agent. It’s true that most running backs fail to justify their big contracts in the changing landscape of today’s NFL. DeMarco Murray, Toby Gerhart, CJ Spiller and Frank Gore come to mind as recent examples of high-priced ball-carriers who haven’t quite delivered. Yet Martin has been a crucial elements of Tampa Bay’s offense this year and is averaging a healthy 20.8 touches per game.” -Reported by Brandon Katz
More here: NFL Free Agency: Will Doug Martin Re-Sign With Buccaneers?