The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a legacy selection in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
With the No. 46 pick, the Buccaneers took Missouri EDGE Josiah Trotter, the son of Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro linebacker Jeremiah Trotter.
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Bucs GM Jason Licht approved the selection, knowing more than a little bit about Jeremiah Trotter. Early in his career, Licht served as the vice president of player personnel for the Eagles.
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In fact, Licht was in the room in August 2007, when Philadelphia decided to release the elder Trotter, ending the second of his three stints with the Eagles.
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On Friday, May 8, Licht told a funny story about Trotter’s release during an appearance on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football.”
A game of telephone
According to Licht, the Eagles’ brain trust, including head coach Andy Reid, made the decision to release Trotter during training camp. The team planned to announce it the next day.
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“The decision of the team was that we were going to release Jeremiah Trotter, which was big news at the time,” Licht said. “He had been our leader. He’s a bad man. You don’t want to mess with him. We couldn’t tell anybody. … It was very secretive.”
So, of course, Licht told his wife, Blair, but swore her to secrecy. “Who am I going to tell?” Licht quoted her as saying.
But the next morning, Trotter’s release was all over Philadelphia radio, causing panic in the Eagles facility. It is standard procedure to inform a player out of respect before such a transaction is announced.
Licht went back to Blair and asked if she shared the news with anyone. She admitted to telling her cousin Vincent, a huge Eagles fan. Then, Licht called Vincent.
“Well, I mean, I told my friend Jesse,” he said.
The questioning then moved to Jesse.
“Well, that was just too good not to tell anybody, so I called the radio station,” Jesse said.
The whole experience turned into a lesson learned for Licht, who uses the story to teach new Tampa Bay hires about the importance of discretion.
“You cannot tell anybody these secrets. … If you live in the Allentown, Pennsylvania, area and you run across cousin Vincent or Jesse, do not tell them your secrets,” Licht concluded.