Running back Doug Martin announced on Wednesday that he would miss the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ final regular-season game to immediately enter a treatment facility.
The decision to enter the treatment facility came after Martin learned that he was being suspended four games for violating the NFL policy on performance enhancing substances, according to ESPN. That suspension could be a costly one for Martin.
Martin will lose at least $1.5 million in base salary for the final game of this season and the first three games of next season. However, that number could grow substantially.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Martin’s 2017 salary of $7 million is no longer guaranteed as a result of the suspension.
Martin is in the first year of a five-year, $35.8 million contract that included $15 million in guaranteed salaries and bonuses. But now, with the 2017 salary no longer guaranteed, Martin is in danger of losing the entire $7 million salary for the 2017 season.
In addition Martin's suspension, his production has declined this season, and he is also one failed-test away from a 10-game suspension. Because of that, the Bucs may have incentive to either re-work the contract or dump it all-together.
If the Bucs decide they no longer need Martin, they could easily decide they are no longer obligated to keep him on the payroll at all.
