Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Dirk Koetter: 'Tell Jason Licht that I want Doug Martin!'

Published Jan. 18, 2016 11:37 p.m. ET

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One of the biggest questions for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2016 NFL offseason is going to be whether or not they'll be able to re-sign Doug Martin.

Martin, who had his best year in 2015 since his rookie season, rushed for 1,402 yards and six touchdowns, and quickly reverted back to being the running back who fans immediately fell in love with. The problem is, he's set to become a free agent. The good news? Both sides have expressed interest in getting a deal done.

One person who really wants Martin back though? Well, that would be new head coach Dirk Koetter.

Via Eric Horchy of Pewter Report:

“Tell Jason Licht that I want Doug Martin!” Koetter said smiling. “Tell Jason. I’m putting my name on that. I want Doug Martin to be a Buc, so you tell him.”

While he was somewhat joking, it was obvious that he was also pretty serious about it as well, posing the question of 'who wouldn't want Doug Martin back?'

“Who wouldn’t want Doug Martin back?” Koetter added. “He’s a terrific football player, so of course we would like to have him back. Jason’s got control of that and I think he wants Doug back, too, but you guys have to get him on that one. But I’m pretty sure he does.”

The Buccaneers will obviously make an all-out push to get their starting running back to return to town, and if you had to bet on it, there's a good chance that he'll return to the Buccaneers.

Jeff Smith writes about the NFL for FOX Sports. You can find him on Twitter @JSM8ith.