Doug Martin Will Silence Critics

was resigned by the Buccaneers at the eleventh hour before free agency began. Some say he was overpaid. Some think those people are wrong.

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Jason Licht declined to pick up the fifth year option on running back Doug Martin before the start of the 2015 season. In retrospect, that may have been a bad decision, but hindsight is always 20/20. Alls well that ends well and Licht got Martin back on a five year, $35.75 million dollar contract with all guaranteed money within the first two seasons. The Bucs couldn’t let Martin slip away in free agency and both sides got a deal done that was mutually beneficial.

Yet, some people seem to think it was a big time overpay.

Those people are wrong.

Look, Doug Martin was one of the major reasons the Bucs’ offense had so much success last season. You could easily say that not only did Martin make the offense and rookie quarterback Jameis Winston better, but the presence of Jameis Winston made Martin return to the running back he started out to be.

Let’s rewind a bit, shall we? In Martin’s rookie campaign, he benefited from a quarterback defenses had to respect. Unfortunately, Josh Freeman didn’t pan out going forward, but you have to remember he was still just shortly removed from a 27 touchdown, 10 interception season that had Bucs fans and media members believing he was the franchise quarterback the team had never had. However, at the time, defenses recognized the talent he had and couldn’t solely focus on stopping the run.

After Freeman’s downfall began, Martin became the focal point of opposing defenses and his body paid the price for it. He had lingering, essentially season ending, injuries in back to back seasons in 2013 and 2014. That brings us up to 2015 and the denial of the fifth year option.

We hear all the time about players showing up to training camp in “the best shape of their life”, yet it’s rarely true. In Martin’s case, it was absolutely true. Whether it was the motivation of being denied the option or the desire to prove himself knowing his next contract depended on it, Martin came in to training camp in the best shape of his life. And on the field, it showed.

Martin finished 2015 with 1,402 yards on the ground and six touchdowns. He also posted 271 receiving yards and a touchdown. 936 of those yards were on 178 carries when it was first down, and thirty times it resulted in yet another first down. That is one heck of a way to take some pressure off your rookie quarterback and help get the offense into a rhythm.

Look, nothing against Charles Sims, but he is not the every down back Martin is. It was often times frustrating to watch Martin get on a roll just to be benched because it was “Sims’ turn”. Now, many of us (and by that, I mean Bucs fans) speculated the “Sims turn/Martin turn” was a Lovie Smith thing. We’ll find out soon enough, but it seems Koetter is the kind of guy that will ride the hot hand. Sims will still get his playing time, his carries, his targets, but not at the expense of someone who is clicking at the time just because it’s what was predetermined in a conference room.

Doug Martin has earned, and will continue to earn every penny he gets from this contract. Yes, you pay free agents for what they’re going to do, not what they’ve already done. Given the year Martin had under Dirk Koetter and having a second year in the system along with a reliable quarterback entering his second career season, there is no reason to think Doug Martin can’t play to the same, or even a higher level in 2016 and beyond. To say it was an overpay, to me, is an overreaction to a fair market value given to a player who, not only was second in the NFL in rushing last season, but a player who has exponential potential the longer he stays on this team in Koetter’s system.

Next: How Improved Is This Bucs Defense?

Bucs fans, do you think it was an overpay? Was it just right? Do you truly believe the Bucs could have been just as successful with Sims and a rookie? Sound off in the comments and let us know.