Buccaneers running back Doug Martin didn’t like his old nickname. He also doesn’t like inquiries about his current circumstances.
Martin, in final year of his rookie deal after the team opted not to pick up his fifth-year option for 2016, despises talking about his contract.
“You know, people say, ‘Oh, it’s a contract year, that’s why he’s playing like this,’” Martin told the team’s official website, via JoeBucsFan.com. “I hate that. I hate contract questions. I’m healthy. Last year, I had the injury bug, it was either a knee, ankle, hamstring. This year, I made sure that I stayed healthy, doing a lot of preventive things, stretches, eating right.”
Last year wasn’t his only bad season, however. Before generating 494 rushing yards through 11 games in 2014, Martin had 456 yards in six games in 2013. As a rookie, Martin finished with 1,454 rushing yards.
There’s an obvious connection between having a big year and being on the brink of getting paid. This season, Martin has 941 yards rushing in 10 games, which puts him on pace for more than 1,500.
Martin’s distaste for questions linking his performance to his contract posture may arise from the presumption that: (1) he’s only having a good year because he’s on the brink of getting paid; and (2) after he gets paid, he won’t play well. Unofficially known as (because I just thought of the name) the DeMarco Murray Disorder, it’s a real phenomenon about which the Buccaneers and other teams could be concerned.
Murray isn’t the first running back to regress after getting his payday; he’s just the most recent. For Martin, the real question is whether his current team believes he’ll continue to get it done even after getting a new contract. If they don’t make a competitive offer to Martin (or apply the franchise tag), the warning to everyone else will be implied.
