Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Jonathan Martin does not want to return to the team in 2014, according to Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post. It was previously reported that Martin wanted to make his return to football next season, and the possibility that he could even return to Miami was considered, but it now sounds like that is not likely.
Jonathan Martin doesn’t want to return to Dolphins, per report
Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Jonathan Martin wants to play in 2014, but according to one report, it’s not with the Dolphins.
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Then again, the fact that this was initially reported as “not impossible” was probably a strong indication that it wasn’t going to happen.
According to the report, Martin wants a fresh start with another team, despite the fact that the Dolphins are interested in bringing him back. Abramson’s source reportedly said “How do you take him back? Do you get rid of Pouncey? All these guys talked (crap) about him. I don’t even know how it’s possible.”
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports had multiple Tweets on the subject, saying that the Dolphins met with Martin to express desire to bring him back, but Martin’s representatives told the Dolphins that a return to the team wouldn’t work. Martin’s agents, for what it’s worth, also said that La Canfora’s report isn’t true, and that they would all really appreciate it if the media “backed off and allowed the process to happen organically.”
Well, that’s not going to happen. But either way, there are conflicting reports on who spoke to whom. It seems most likely that Martin wouldn’t want to be back at this point.
It certainly does seem like a long shot for both parties. For the Dolphins, they’d have to go to extreme lengths to make sure Martin is comfortable, and that likely includes getting rid of more people who were involved in the bullying scandal. For Martin, it means returning to the team that allegedly fostered a hostile environment that eventually led to him suffering an emotional breakdown.
While phrases like "reported" and "alleged" are still used, it's generally accepted that no small amount of wrongdoing occurred within the Miami locker room since Ted Wells released his report following an independent investigation of the bullying incident. The report said that Richie Incognito, Mike Pouncey, John Jerry and others engaged in abusive behavior of Martin.
In addition, the report name offensive line coach Jim Turner, who was fired recently. Smart money is on more jobs being lost before this is all over, and of course, on Martin finding himself elsewhere in 2014. But what are his options at this point?
Well first, we need to look at what Martin offers on the field.
Martin replaced Jake Long at the left tackle position to get the 2013 season underway. Long departed in free agency, and the Dolphins allowed him to go due to injury concerns. Martin had started the first 12 games of his rookie season underway, and filled in on the left side when Long was injured.
Unfortunately, Martin hasn’t played that well to this point. He hasn’t lived up to his draft slot -- the No. 42 overall pick in the draft -- and was actually moved back to right tackle the week before he left the team with his emotional breakdown. While not the be-all, end-all source, Pro Football Focus did not think highly of Martin’s play in 2013, either.
Out of 76 qualifying offensive tackles, Pro Football Focus gave Martin a -6.9 overall grade, which puts him at No. 60 in the league, well into the bottom half of the league. That acounts for a -3.0 pass blocking grade and a -5.5 run blocking grade. He was seventh-worst in pass protection out of qualifying tackles and was responsible for seven sacks, seven hits and 15 hurries on quarterback Ryan Tannehill in 2013.
What Martin does have going for him on the field is his potential. He was drafted in the second round for a reason, and its entirely possible that the environment in Miami played a factor in his struggles on the field. Another team will surely take a chance on him, but what kind of chance?
At this point, a trade seems pretty unlikely. Many teams likely feel that Martin isn’t going to remain with Miami and it wouldn’t make sense to give up a draft pick to acquire him if he can be acquired on the open market. Then again, if a team feels strongly about him, they could always send along a late-round pick to get his rights so the Dolphins aren’t totally out. But that could create a bidding war.
This is a strong market for offensive linemen as well, with Eugene Monroe, Jared Veldheer and Branden Albert all set to hit the open market. Martin will have competition if he is released. Martin is set to count $1.3 million against the salary cap in 2014, and releasing him would result in just $959,734 in dead money, according to Spotrac.
In other words, it likely wouldn’t require a big investment to trade for him or to sign him on the open market, and it wouldn’t hurt the Dolphins too badly financially to release him. It’s too easy for him to be elsewhere in 2014 and seemingly too difficult for him to remain with Miami.
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