Winner: Jason Licht
June 3rd, 2025
Winning the offseason.
A month ago, Bucs fans were winding down from the draft. And after the second day of the draft, it Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht was catching flowers from folks in the fourth estate.
Including one employed by the league.
NFL columnist Jeff Chadiha of NFL.com typed a winners and losers column on the draft through the first three rounds (Joe just saw it). And of the five “winners” for Chadiha, at No. 3 was Licht for how he keeps stacking his roster.
Licht doesn’t get enough credit for the job he does running this franchise. He’s kept key veterans when free agency has come around the last couple years (most notably quarterback Baker Mayfield and wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin) and he’s been pretty good at finding productive players in the draft (such as running back Bucky Irving in 2024). This year’s draft has provided another example of Licht’s skills. He used the first round to find a wide receiver (Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka) who should contribute right away before becoming an eventual successor to Evans or Godwin. The second and third rounds delivered much needed help at cornerback in the form of Notre Dame’s Benjamin Morrison and Kansas State’s Jacob Parrish. Morrison has the skill set to thrive in the Bucs’ zone-coverage schemes, while Parrish’s speed (he ran a 4.35-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine) will help this secondary, as well. There’s a reason the Bucs have won the NFC South four straight years. They keep adding good players.
With a little luck, the Bucs may have added two starters at a critical position, cornerback, on Day 2 of the draft. We shall see when the pads come on next month if Benjamin Morrison lives up to the hype. Many believe Licht got a steal.
But this is how you build a winner and keep the team winning. Former Bucs Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians always talked about “stacking wins.” Well, Licht stacks players.
And it is because of that the Bucs keep winning, despite losing the greatest quarterback of all time.
"The way the @Buccaneers draft now is for value. They’re drafting because their roster is so good … Jason Licht is one of the best GM's in all of football." – @bykevinclark on @ESPNNFL #WeAreTheKrewe | @jasonrlicht pic.twitter.com/RMQuwoXz2o
— Buccaneers Communications (@BuccaneersComms) June 2, 2025