Bucs GM Ranked High Amongst Peers

Bucs general manager Jason Licht has built one of the league’s best rosters. He’s won a Super Bowl title in his nine-year tenure with the team. It’s been done by mostly smart drafting, key free agent pickups, and savvy trade acquisitions. However, his coup de gras was bringing quarterback Tom Brady to town in 2020.

Since then Tampa Bay has been one of the best teams in the league with one of the best rosters. His recent success in the draft and free agency has played a pivotal part in the Bucs’ recent success. Patrick Daughtrey of NBC Sports Edge recently came out with his rankings of the best general managers around the league and has Licht landing in the sixth spot.

Inside The Top 10

“How do you replace Tom Brady? With Tom Brady. Bill Belichick wishes he had been so bold. It has been that kind of half decade for Jason Licht, who went from hanging on as Bucs general manager by a thread to building a plug-and-play roster for the greatest player of all time. After that stroke of good fortune, Licht knew better than to look his gift horse in the mouth, not standing in the way of what seemed to be a quid pro quo for Brady’s return: He plays, coach Bruce Arians “retires.” That’s the cost of doing business when you are in Brady’s rarefied air. Not all of Brady’s demands have worked out. Signing Antonio Brown comes to mind.”

Bucs VP of player personnel John Spytek and GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

I don’t agree with Daughtrey’s take on Brady forcing Arians out. However, there have been plenty of instances where Brady’s voice has been heard. That’s especially when it’s come to trades or free agent acquisitions. Additions like Rob Gronkowski and Leonard Fournette have panned out well for the Bucs. Even Antonio Brown, who Daughtrey mentions, helped the Bucs win a Super Bowl before he went all – no shoes, no shirt, no problem.

Licht’s Core Has Been Key

Over the last several drafts Licht has built this team primarily through solid draft selections. It’s the core that he’s built that will keep the team competitive for the future, assuming they figure the quarterback position out.

“Thankfully Licht’s pre-Brady core has been strong enough to endure such hiccups, while he made deft use of the open market to fill 2022 holes. Licht paid a trade penny for Shaq Mason so he could pay a premium for Russell Gage, the kind of middle-of-the-field threat who so often gels with TB12. Post-Brady reality will eventually bite this aging roster hard. But Licht is acing the assignment of maximizing his Super Bowl odds in the present.”

There will certainly be question marks at the quarterback position when Brady retires. Though Licht has this team set up for future success. He ensured that by locking up many key players, including Ryan Jensen, Chris Godwin, and Carlton Davis III to deals for the next three seasons. The answer at quarterback will be a huge piece of the puzzle. But the moves Licht has made will ensure the talent and culture will remain intact.