Doug Martin - Pro Football Rumors

Bucs RB Doug Martin Suspended For PEDs

December 28th, 2016 at 3:35pm CST by Zachary Links

We now have some clarity on why Doug Martin is “stepping away” from the Buccaneers in advance of their regular season finale. Martin confirmed that he has been suspended for four games by the NFL. Though Martin’s statement was vague as to the exact nature of the ban, the NFL says that it is a PED policy violation, not a recreational drug violation.

“I was notified last week of a four-game suspension for violating the league’s drug policy,” Martin said. “My initial instinct was to appeal the suspension and finish the season with my teammates. However, after numerous discussions with people close to me — including Coach [Dirk] Koetter — I am starting the suspension immediately so I can enter a treatment facility and receive the help I truly need…On the field, I must be strong and determined to push through both pain and injuries to become an elite NFL running back. Off the field, I have tried that same approach in my personal life. My shortcomings in this area have taught me both that I cannot win these personal battles alone and that there is no shame in asking for help.”

Martin tested positive for Adderall and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears that is one of the issues that he is dealing with. While Martin may have been taking Adderall recreationally, it is classified as a performance-enhancer by the NFL for its stimulating properties.

If Martin misses this weekend’s game plus three in 2017, he’ll forfeit $1.47MM in base salary. However, it’s not a given that he’ll even be under contract with the Bucs for next season. As a result of the PED suspension, Martin’s $7MM 2017 salary guarantee will void, and that would allow the Bucs to release him without major penalty.

Based on his statement, it sounds like Martin was dependent on substances off of the field, but not necessarily using them for advancement on the field. With that in mind, one would expect Martin to appeal the suspension and have it re-classified as a substance abuse policy violation. Martin won’t appeal the suspension right now, but it remains to be seen whether he can have the suspension altered with the help of the NFLPA.

Doug Martin “Stepping Away” From Bucs

December 28th, 2016 at 2:37pm CST by Zachary Links

Running back Doug Martin is “stepping away” from the Buccaneers to take care of some personal issues, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Martin was bumped from the active roster as a healthy scratch in Week 16 and the team was prepared to do the same in the regular season finale. The running back is expected to release a statement this afternoon.

In Martin’s stead, Jacquizz Rodgers is expected to get the start. Running back Charles Sims is headed back to IR after suffering a pectoral injury. Behind Rodgers will be running backs Peyton Barber and Russell Hansbrough.

Last year, Martin gained 1,673 yards from scrimmage and scored seven touchdowns. He parlayed that success into a five-year, $35.7MM extension prior to the start of free agency. He’s slated to be under contract with Tampa Bay through 2020 and his guarantees mean that there’s little point to releasing him before the start of next season.

This weekend’s regular season finale will, in all likelihood, be the end of the line for the Bucs. In addition to winning their own game, the Bucs can only make the playoffs if they also see wins from the Cowboys, Titans, Colts, 49ers, and Lions with the Giants tying the Redskins.

Buccaneers To Bench Doug Martin Again

December 27th, 2016 at 9:39am CST by Zachary Links

Buccaneers running back Doug Martin was a healthy scratch against New Orleans over the weekend and he’ll also be inactive for the season finale against Carolina, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times writes. With Martin out of the picture, the Bucs plan to sign running back Russell Hansbrough off of the Giants’ practice squad.

Since returning from a hamstring injury, Martin has struggled to regain the form that made him a top running back in the league. Now, his future with the Bucs is not clear as the offseason approaches. Martin is signed to a five-year, $35.75MM contract he inked last March, including $15MM guaranteed. Releasing Martin this offseason would not save the team any money against the 2017 cap, so their options are limited.

Jacquizz Rodgers started in place of Martin on Saturday and rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Although he’s had his moments this season, like his 154-yard game against the Niners in October, Rodgers might not be what the team has in mind for a No. 1 RB next season.

NFC Rumors: Snead, 49ers, Norman, Giants

December 25th, 2016 at 11:20am CST by Sam Robinson

Les Snead‘s job status continues to generate disparate stances, but the latest points to the Rams GM being ousted. Snead is expected to follow Jeff Fisher out the door, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, who notes the five years without a winning record — and Los Angeles boasting the league’s worst offense — will make it difficult to generate enthusiasm from a fanbase the franchise is attempting to grow now that it’s back in California.

Earlier this month, a report emerged that Snead was expected to survive, with another indicating the GM was not long for employment in L.A. With the Rams having lost to the 49ers and dropping to 4-11 — in line for their worst record since 2011, the final year of the pre-Snead/Fisher regime — it’s obvious the more fan-friendly move would be to start fresh.

Here’s more from around the league on Christmas Day.

Neither Trent Baalke nor Chip Kelly is expected to survive Black Monday, per Volin, with a new 49ers GM expected to be able to select his own coach. Kelly’s team won its first game since Week 1 in beating the Rams in L.A., but the formerly sought-after coach steered the team to its worst losing streak in the franchise’s 70-year history. Baalke could land in Denver due to his solid relationship with Broncos GM John Elway, but the sixth-year decision-maker has overseen a 49ers freefall over the past two years after that run of three consecutive conference championship games.
Josh Norman considered overtures from the Bears this offseason but told Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune) postgame the sides weren’t on the same page. “At one point they were in the running,” Norman said. “They weren’t talking what I was talking about, though. I evaluate the team as well but if you’re not in the same [area when it comes to pay], you’re disqualified.” Washington beat out several teams to sign Norman, who intercepted two passes on Sunday, for five years and $75MM.
Dirk Koetter did not address Doug Martin‘s future with the Buccaneers after the team’s loss to the Saints on Saturday, noting that his decision to make the running back a healthy scratch came from believing previous injury replacement Jacquizz Rodgers was a better option, per Bradley Handwerger of the Associated Press. Rodgers was a healthy inactive last week. Martin’s $7MM salary next season is fully guaranteed as part of his five-year, $35.75MM deal, but no guaranteed money is part of this deal after 2017.
The Giants clinched their first playoff berth in five years Saturday, but a view around the league is they’ve received a reputation of seeing leniency from the commissioner’s office. This comes after they were penalized a maximum of 12 draft slots for their walkie-talkie infraction. “My understanding is that folks inside the Giants organization, they generally win the jump balls,” Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk said during a radio appearance (via Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com). “They have that working in their favor. The John Mara connection. Look, it’s a league where the commissioner formally answers to the owners, so the most influential owners are going to have the greatest influence on the commissioner. Teams realize [they] don’t have any juice with the commissioner and other teams do. The Giants do. It’s not a surprise.” When comparing this penalty to the league docking the Chiefs a third-round pick for committing a common violation regarding premature free agency dialogue with Jeremy Maclin, Florio categorized the Giants as getting off easy.

Doug Martin A Healthy Scratch Vs. Saints

December 24th, 2016 at 2:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Buccaneers will play a crucial game for playoff-contention purposes later today and do so without starting running back Doug Martin, whom the team made a healthy scratch, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

No reason has been provided by the team, but Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times points out (Twitter link) the Bucs’ usual starter has been woefully ineffective since returning from the hamstring injury that largely defined his 2016 season. Martin is averaging a career-worst 2.9 yards per carry this season, and as Auman notes, that’s the worst mark in the league among the 35 ball-carriers who have seen at least 100 handoffs this season.

The team, though, has supported Martin during what’s marked his third down year in his past four seasons, with Auman pointing out the Bucs have said the cornerstone back needs better blocking. During the 2013 and ’14 seasons in which the Boise State product gained fewer than 500 yards on the ground in injury-limited campaigns, Martin still averaged more than 3.5 yards per rush.

Martin has not averaged more than four yards per carry in any of the eight games he’s played this season, but this is still a surprise with the 8-6 Bucs contending for their first NFC South title since 2007. Charles Sims, Peyton Barber and Jacquizz Rodgers are active for Tampa Bay today in New Orleans. Martin rushed 23 times for 66 yards and a touchdown against the Saints two weeks ago.

The Bucs re-signed their 2012 first-round pick to a five-year, $35.75MM extension this offseason. He missed six games with the hamstring malady, which has him at just 421 yards in his fifth season.

Doug Martin To Return For Buccaneers

November 12th, 2016 at 2:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

The severe hamstring injury that has defined Doug Martin‘s season to this point won’t restrict the Buccaneers’ top running back from playing in Week 10 against the Bears. Martin will suit up for Sunday’s game, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Martin has not ventured to IR this season despite missing eight weeks, but his absence and his backfield mates’ subsequent maladies have restricted the Bucs. The 27-year-old ball-carrier isn’t a lock to start, but he should be considered ready to assume some of his previous duties.

Charles Sims and Jacquizz Rodgers are out for Sunday, with the former being a candidate to return from IR. Rodgers is without a return timetable after suffering a foot injury, one that sent the Bucs’ fourth and fifth backfield options, Peyton Barber and Antone Smith, into action. Smith is out for the season after playing in just three games with the team.

The recently re-signed Martin hasn’t played since Week 2 but is obviously coming off a full-season performance that did enough to earn him a five-year, $35.7MM extension to stay in Tampa Bay. Martin gained 1,673 yards from scrimmage and scored seven touchdowns last season, bouncing back from two down campaigns — both marred by injuries — to earn that long-term security.

Tampa Bay’s managed to remain a middling rushing attack without its top threat, ranking 16th at 108.0 yards per game, but the team sits 3-5 and has already lost Vincent Jackson as another key offensive option.

Running Back Notes: Martin, Elliott, Lacy, Bell

November 5th, 2016 at 10:55am CST by Ben Levine

Buccaneers running back Doug Martin hasn’t seen the field since the second week of the season, but the 27-year-old may finally have a definitive return date. Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter told SiriusXM NFL Radio that the team is optimistic that Martin will return for next week’s contest against the Bears.

“We’re hopeful that after these three days off that maybe he has a shot at Chicago,” Koetter said (via Alex Marvez of Sporting News). “But hamstrings seem to linger a little bit. We’ll have to wait and see.

“These hamstrings are just delicate. He was 90-plus percent back and doing his rehab run one day and he tweaked it again. (Bucs trainers) kind of had to go back and start over.”

Martin rushed for 1,402 yards and six touchdowns last season, and the organization rewarded him with a five-year, $36MM extension. The former first-round pick collected 85 yards on 25 carries in 2016 before being sidelined with the hamstring injury.

Let’s take a look at some other notes pertaining to the NFL’s running backs…

Domestic violence accusations have surrounded Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott this season, and an incident report from the Aventura (Fla.) Police Department (obtained by USA Today’s Tom Pelissero and A.J. Perez) said the player’s ex-girlfriend/accuser also accused the athlete of abusing her back in February. The police said there were no visible signs of injury, and Elliott was not arrested. The writers say it’s unclear whether the NFL knew about these previous allegations.
There are several big-name running back prospects in this year’s NFL draft, but one scout believes the depth is overrated. “This was billed as some elite running back class—it’s not,” the scout told Matt Miller of Bleacher Report. “[Leonard] Fournette is a freak, but everyone knows that. Dalvin Cook is exciting, but he’s not close to last year’s first-rounder [Ezekiel Elliott]. [Nick] Chubb is a third[-rounder] from what I’ve heard in our group. The big kid at Texas [D’Onta Foreman] is the one to watch if he comes out. I like him better than Derrick Henry.”
ESPN.com’s Field Yates previews the “biggest upcoming roster decisions” for each NFL team, and the writer points to two team’s running situations. With Eddie Lacy set to become a free agent, the Packers will have to decided whether they want to invest in the veteran or go a different route. If the team does look to replace the 26-year-old, Yates believes they’ll do so via the draft.
Meanwhile, Yates also looks at the situation in Pittsburgh between the Steelers and Le’Veon Bell. As the 24-year-old slowly creeps towards unrestricted free agency, the writer wonders whether the team will spend to keep one of their homegrown talents.

Bucs’ Doug Martin To Miss Time

September 21st, 2016 at 9:40am CST by Zachary Links

Buccaneers running back Doug Martin will miss “about three weeks” with a hamstring injury, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Martin’s status was up in the air until an MRI on Tuesday showed a decent amount of damage.

Last year, Martin enjoyed his best season since his rookie campaign, rushing for more than 1,400 yards with six touchdowns on the ground and adding 33 receptions and another score for good measure. In the season opener, Martin ran for just 62 yards off of 18 carries, though he did add five receptions for 34 yards. On Sunday against the Cardinals, he had seven carries for 23 yards before exiting due to his injury.

While Martin is sidelined, Charles Sims figures to see the bulk of the carries, though he has averaged just 2.5 yards per attempt off of his 13 carries this year. Last year, Sims averaged 4.9 yards per attempt as the change-of-pace back. With Jacquizz Rodgers and valued UDFA Peyton Barber also on the depth chart, the Bucs probably won’t add another running back during Martin’s brief absence.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Contract Details: Smith, Martin, Sweezy, Thornton

March 10th, 2016 at 9:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are some of the latest details on recently agreed-upon or signed contracts from around the NFL. All Twitter links are courtesy of Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle unless otherwise indicated…

Sean Smith, CB (Raiders): Four years, $38MM. $20MM guaranteed. $5MM signing bonus. 2016 $5.75MM base salary is guaranteed. 2017 $5MM salary guaranteed against injury upon signing. 2018 base: $8.25MM. 2019: $8.75MM. $500K annual Pro Bowl incentive. Smith has $4.25MM roster bonus guaranteed on third day of 2017 league year. (Twitter links). $15.25MM fully guaranteed in first 12 months of the deal, per Tom Pelissero of USA Today (on Twitter)
Byron Maxwell, CB (Dolphins): As part of restructure, gave back $1.5MM in cash on 2017 salary in exchange for $2MM guaranteed in ’17, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter)
Doug Martin, RB (Buccaneers): Five years, $35.75MM. $15MM guaranteed. $4MM roster bonus on March 14. Guaranteed base salaries of $4MM, $7MM in 2016, 2017. Salaries from 2018-20: $6.75MM, $7MM, $7MM. $1.44MM escalator for stats, playing time, Pro Bowls from 2017-20 (Twitter links)
J.R. Sweezy, G (Buccaneers): Five years, $32.5MM. $14.5MM guaranteed. $5MM roster bonus on March 15. Base salaries from 2016-20: $4.5MM, $2.5MM, $6.5MM, $5.75MM, $5.75MM. $2.75MM roster bonus in 2017. (Twitter link)
Cedric Thornton, DE (Cowboys): Four years, $17MM. $9MM guaranteed. $5MM signing bonus. Base salaries 2016-19: $1MM (guaranteed), $3MM (guaranteed against injury), $4MM, $4MM. (Twitter link)
Tracy Porter, CB (Bears): Three years, $12MM. $4.25MM guaranteed. $900K signing bonus. $1.6MM roster bonus on March 30. Base salaries from 2016-18: $1.5MM, $3.5MM, $3.5MM. $1MM Pro Bowl bonus in each year. (Twitter links via Wilson and Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times)
Bilal Powell, RB (Jets): Three years, $11.25MM. $250MM signing bonus. 2016 base salary of $850K, which is guaranteed. $2.5MM of $3.75MM 2017 base salary guaranteed. (Twitter link)
Tony Bergstrom, C (Texans): Two years, $5.75MM. $750K signing bonus. $1.5MM guaranteed. Base salaries in 2016-17: $1.23MM (guaranteed), $2.63MM (guaranteed against injury). $750K roster bonus April 18. (Twitter links)
Johnson Bademosi, DB (Lions): Two years, $4.5MM. $2.9MM guaranteed. Base salaries in 2016-17: $1.1MM, $1.3MM. $50K annual workout bonus. $400K Pro Bowl incentive. (Twitter link)

Buccaneers To Re-Sign Doug Martin

March 9th, 2016 at 1:26pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Buccaneers have agreed to re-sign running back Doug Martin, according to Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (Twitter link). It’s a five-year deal, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link), and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) says that it’s worth $35.75MM in total, with a max value of $42.5MM (Twitter link). Martin will pocket $15MM in full guarantees, per Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link).

Just last night, reports indicated that although Martin and Tampa Bay were close to reaching a new agreement, details still needed to be hammered out. That report pointed to a yearly value of $6.85MM for Martin, so his representatives were clearly able to negotiate a bit more money over the past twelve hours or so. Martin will average $7.15MM annually, good for eighth among running backs.

As many as six teams — including the 49ers, Raiders, and Texans — had reportedly expressed in Martin, and with reports earlier this week indicating that talks between Martin and the Bucs had broken down, it looked like Martin might be finding a new landing spot. But the two sides have come to together at the 11th hour, reaching a new deal just prior to the start of the free agent period.

Tampa Bay could have controlled Martin for the 2016 season by exercising his fifth-year option — they declined to do, so Martin hit free agency in 2016 instead of 2017. If the club wanted to use the declined option as something of a motivational tactic, it worked, as Martin enjoyed his best season since his rookie year, rushing for more than 1,400 yards, scoring six times, and adding 33 reception and another touchdown for good measure.

PFR ranked Martin as the No. 13 free agent, and the No. 1 available running back. Other RBs still on the market include Lamar Miller and Matt Forte, while Chris Ivory has already agreed to a new deal with the Jaguars.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.