Buccaneers running back Doug Martin rebounded from a pair of years marred by injuries to run for 1,402 yards while playing every game during the 2015 season, a timely return to health for a player set to become a free agent next month.
The Buccaneers would like to keep Martin from reaching free agency. General Manager Jason Licht said that he’s set to talk to Martin’s agent at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this week and that he’s optimistic that a deal can get done because both sides want to get a deal done.
“I know he wants to be a Buc and we want him to be a Buc,” Licht said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.
Licht added that there are “always obstacles” in contract talks and that the team will be prepared to make other moves at running back in the event things don’t work out with Martin. The Buccaneers have the cap space to ensure that it does work out, although recent word out of Tampa has suggested they won’t use the franchise tag.
